To Have and To Hold
by AndSoIWrite
Summary: It wasn't long ago Bella was bitten by Leah Clearwater and started turning werewolf. But now Edward's attempt to change her provokes the attention of the Volturi, leading to the start of a chaotic and dangerous situation. Sequel to As Cold As The Sun
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: As promised, this is the sequel to As Cold As The Sun. I don't own Twilight and no copyright infringement was or ever will be intended. Enjoy!**

_It's the Volturi. They're coming for you._These words rang constantly in my mind ever since Edward had spoken them. I was terrified – not that I would let Edward know it. I had always known in the back of my mind they would come for me someday. But I had also always been expecting to be a vampire by the time they got to me. Recently, that all had changed.

Two months ago, I was attacked and almost killed by the werewolf Leah Clearwater. I started to recover from the severe physical injuries but during that time, I started to change into werewolf myself. Now I was stuck half-human, half-werewolf.

The Volturi were hoping to find me turned vampire, a perfect mate for Edward but the plans to change me had been held off due to my condition. No one had any idea what a vampire bite would do to a human-wolf hybrid.

Edward and I had flown back from our exotic honeymoon a week ago after receiving a distressed call from Alice, who had seen the Volturi's recent plans to visit. It had saddened me to see our visit to Esme's Island come to an end, but Edward promised me we would go back when everything was normal again. I sighed. When would anything seem normal again?

I was sitting in the living room with Alice, who was trying to distract me with funny stories from her past. Edward was with Carlisle in his office, trying to figure out a solution to our seemingly impossible problem.

"Alice," I sighed, wishing she would stop trying to distract me.

"Sorry Bella," she said. "He wanted me to keep you entertained." I glanced towards the ceiling, hoping to eavesdrop on the conversation but my human ears were too weak to pick up the low tones they were speaking in.

"I know," I said, feeling sorry for Alice. I wasn't making her job easy. "I just wish I knew what was going to happen." The waiting was killing me. Edward had not said anything to me about being changed and I wondered if he was reconsidering his promise to try.

"He'll tell you when they have a plan," Alice assured me.

"Have they changed their minds?" I asked, referring to the Volturi. Alice shook her head and gave me a sympathetic smile.

"No Bella. They're still coming. I will tell you if anything changes, I promise."

"I know," I said miserably, feebly kicking the couch with my foot. Leah's attack had done serious damage to my spinal cord and I was only now regaining the ability to walk steadily. "It's just….it's been a week. I'm tired of waiting." Alice remained silent, having nothing to say that could be of comfort to me. I stared sullenly out of the window, my mood not at all reflected by the sun shining through the trees.

"They're coming down," Alice said. A second later, Edward descended the stairs. As I gazed at him, all my worries vanished for a moment as I took in his glorified body. He passed through a streak of sunlight and his pale skin seemed to ripple. Tiny diamonds danced upon the surface of his every feature. His feet hardly seemed to touch the ground as he floated over to me, extending his perfect arms toward me. I walked forward, drawn to him like a magnet. The embrace he enveloped me in was both gentle and reassuring, his fingers lightly running through my hair in hopes of calming me.

"Bella," he said, his voice as soft as silk as it hovered in the air, as fine as a spider's web. "Please don't worry."

"Who say's I'm worried?" I mumbled into his chest, drinking in his intoxicating scent. He put a hand under my chin so our eyes met. His eyes – a deep gold – held worry and concern in them as he gazed into mine.

"I can see it all over your face. And besides, who wouldn't be worried?" I just shrugged, not trusting myself to speak at the moment. He led me back to the couch and we sat down side by side. Our hands twisted together automatically, my finger stroking the cold metal of his wedding band.

"Bella, we have a plan." My head snapped up and I gazed between him and Carlisle, both faces portraying no expression. Carlisle nodded at Edward, urging him to continue.

"Carlisle believes the only way to keep you safe from the Volturi is to change you."

The response came bursting from my lips.

"But I thought it wasn't safe!" Edward grimaced slightly before responding.

"It is Bella. You will be safe." I turned to Carlisle.

"Is he telling the truth?" The fear blossoming in the pit of my stomach wasn't for myself; it was for Edward. He would kill himself for sure if I died. I couldn't take him away from his family.

"Bella, ever since you were attacked, I have been conducting extensive research and I do believe that the bite won't kill you." What he didn't say was that the bite will change me into a vampire. "Humans have twenty-three chromosomal pairs, right?" I nodded mutely, thinking vaguely of my high school biology class. "And vampires have twenty-five." I nodded again, not quite following where this was going. "Well, a werewolf has twenty-four." He let the information sink in. "So truly, werewolves are closer to vampires than humans are." The pieces came together slowly, like a jigsaw puzzle, the numbers matching up.

"So I have twenty-four?" I asked.

"You have twenty three and a half." That didn't sound good. "Never documented before," Carlisle continued. "But you are the living proof that it can happen which makes me believe that changing you into a vampire could work." The fear inside of me didn't fade but it was starting to be pushed aside by a new feeling – hope. I didn't understand the exact science behind it but Carlisle must be right. I allowed myself to entertain the notion of me turning vampire for a minute. The marble skin, insane speed and most importantly, the everlasting immortality. My already racing heartbeat sped up as excitement coursed through my veins.

"Bella?" It was Edward speaking. I realized I hadn't spoken yet. Edward mistook my silence for fear. "Bella, it will work, I promise." I realized it was an empty promise but I didn't care. If this was my only way out, than I wanted to take it. And if I was destined to die, then at least it would be at the hands of my lover, performing a deed that could potentially save his existence.


	2. Chapter 2

We made preparations for a week. There was no time to plan for longer. Alice had seen the Volturi coming in a month. Two precious weeks had already been wasted through discussion and arranging the change.

I decided not to tell Charlie anything until after the change. I was afraid that seeing him so hurt might make me back out. Edward promised that he would take care of everything, my staged death, my funeral. The Cullen's would leave Forks after my death, leaving nothing behind but a heavy cloud of grief.

We lay in bed the night before the change. I nestled closer to Edward, resting my head on his chest. He absentmindedly combed his fingers through my hair while humming my lullaby. My thoughts were a mess and any attempt to sort through them was useless.

"Edward?" I asked. "How badly will it hurt?" I could not help the shame-filled question from slipping through my lips.

"Not bad love," he said, but lied poorly. He could not disguise his concern for me through his words. "It will be over before you know it."

"And I will be very thirsty when I wake up, right?" He nodded.

"But that passes too. In a decade or so, you will be quite tame." He gave a soft chuckle as I rolled my eyes.

"Keep me away from everyone, okay?" I whispered. My worst fear of killing my friends and family was creeping up.

"Bella," he said. "You will not hurt anyone. That I can promise you."

"Thank you," I murmured. My eyes closed but it was a long time before I was able to get any rest. And when I finally slept, my dreams were chaotic and wild, filled with bloodthirsty vampires. I awoke more than once, my heart hammering in my chest, soaked with sweat. And each time, Edward soothed my frayed nerves and sang me back to sleep.

At six am, I woke for the last time. The rain pounded on the roof and the wind sang a harsh song against the trees outside. A perfect setting for a not-so-perfect day. After dressing in comfortable clothes, I wandered downstairs to find Carlisle and Edward in an intense conversation.

"Good morning," Carlisle said as I walked in.

"Mornin'," I mumbled. I sat on Edward's lap, his arms instantly encircling me.

"Edward and I were just discussing the last details," Carlisle said.

"When?" They knew what I was asking.

"Whenever you're ready. We have everything already set up." Edward promised, giving me a kiss.

"As soon as possible," I said. "I want to get this over with."

"Now?" Edward whispered, his cold lips pressed against my lips. My sharp intake of breath was the only answer he received. Swiftly – so swiftly we appeared to remain stationary – he carried me upstairs into my bed. His kisses came fast now, landing all over my body. Breathing ragged, I struggled to form words.

"Do it Edward," I begged, the suspense making my chest so tight it was becoming difficult to draw in a proper breath. His lips found mine and we were joined as one, fire and ice melting together, neither one more deadly than the other. I lost track of whose limbs were whose and my body seemed to separate from my mind. Every part of me was aflame with love and passion, my body, my mind, my soul. Edward's lips left mine for a split second, there was a brief, sharp pain and then…nothing.


	3. Chapter 3

I floated in blackness for a while, time and space beating no meaning at all. The raging fire I had expected did not come. Instead, I was numb. In fact, it was very similar to when I had been in a coma after Leah's attack. It was sudden when my body turned icy cold. My chest was so cold; it might as well have been on fire. Fingers and toes ceased to exist as the freeze settled over me, wrapping its long tendrils around my body, ensnaring me in its deadly grasp. Just when I thought I would surely freeze to death, a curious thing happened. I left my body. I mean, literally, I floated over myself, watching the scene from above. My body lay covered beneath me, Edward sitting next to it, holding my hand. Carlisle stood in a corner, watching with a calculating eye.

"Carlisle." A broken whisper coming from a broken man. Edward's voice sounded as though it were coming through an intercom. "It didn't work." So that was it. I was dead. The change hadn't worked after all.

"Edward, listen." Carlisle said. "Her heart beats faintly. She's still alive." Okay, so I wasn't dead.

"This isn't what's supposed to happen," Edward argued, caressing my pale face. How bizarre it was to see myself being touched but not feeling any part of it.

"She is unlike anything we have ever seen," Carlisle said. "Perhaps she will follow through in her own way." The scene faded to black and I was back in my body. The chilling coldness had left my torso and arms but still consumed my lower half. I waited for it to disappear but instead, the fire I had been expecting arrived at last.

It started in my head, most certainly burning through my hair into my very brain. I was useless against myself as the fire raged as powerfully as the ice froze. The fire ran though my chest as the chill flew up my legs, paralyzing any hope of escaping this alive. I had no thought on which would win; the inferno swelled as steadily as the arctic wind approached, both intent on reaching their goal: each other. I waited to die, pleading with God to take me. When the two finally met, my very essence exploded. I screamed. My body remained perfectly still but I was gone, tiny bits of me floating in space, broken away from each other by the collision.

And then I was back. As quickly as it had started, it was over. I was aware of noise around me, of the raw feeling of my skin after it had burned. I heard Edward move beside me, knowing it was him without the need to see. I wanted to open my eyes but I was so very tired. No one had warned me about this part. It felt as though I had been drugged and I was losing the battle to stay awake. My mind was tired of thinking, my body tired of pain, and my heart was tired of beating.

"Carlisle, I'm losing her!" The shout came out of nowhere, startling me awake just as I was about to drift off. "Bella!" The yell was more like a shriek of fury. "Bella, you stay with me. Don't you dare leave me on my own." Edward. Edward was angry. At me. Thoughts came in bursts, puffs of smoke that evaporated quickly. I struggled to keep up an ongoing conversation with myself. Okay, so Edward was angry. Because I wanted to sleep? He must be lonely. But I was really very tired. No, I had to stay awake for him. Couldn't he see I wasn't asleep yet? A burst of pain in my hand cleared my mind.

"Squeeze my hand Bella." Carlisle's voice making a request. I focused all my energy into my fingers and managed to make them twitch. A soft sigh of relief floated to my ears. Maybe I could sleep now….

"Bella, don't go anywhere. Stay right here with Edward and I." I guess that meant sleep was out of the question.

"She's okay Edward. Her heartbeat is picking up again." Yes, I could feel it. Stronger, until it was racing as fast as a hummingbird's wings but beating with the ferocity of a helicopter blade. My skin tingled, the feeling returning to my fingers and toes. I became aware that I was laying on something cold and flat, though not uncomfortable. I strained my ears, surprised by the myriad of sounds I picked up. Edward and Carlisle's gentle breathing, the low murmur of the TV two floors below, even the sound of someone methodically tapping their foot against the carpet as they worked. My senses went into overdrive and my eyes flew open. For a split second, I stared at the white ceiling above and then I sprang to my feet, landing lightly on my toes halfway across the room. I surveyed my surroundings carefully. Edward and Carlisle were standing near a metal table which I must have been laying on moments before. The door was ajar but the windows tightly closed, yet unlocked.

"Bella." Edward's voice, a thousand times sweeter than ever before, sang to me and I smiled. "Bella. How do you feel?" Confused, I stared at him. I felt fine, perfect even. The battle inside my body had died and left me feeling strong and rejuvenated. But wasn't I supposed to feel this way? I was a vampire now; nothing was supposed to be able to go wrong. I frowned.

"What's wrong?" I asked. A shiver of pleasure ran down my spine at the sound of my voice. Light, harmonic and as clear as church bells. Carlisle took a step towards me and I instantly bent, prepared to defend myself. Instantly, he stepped back and helped out his hands in front of him. Of course, he meant me no harm. Feeling silly, I straightened back up.

"Sorry," I muttered.

"That's perfectly okay Bella," Carlisle said, each word a careful calculation. "I should not have come at you." I could hear low voices coming from beneath us but ignored them.

"How long was I out?" I asked.

"Three days," came Carlisle's answer. "A perfectly normal length of time," but I heard the slight hesitation beneath his tone.

"What's wrong?" I demanded again.

"Bella love." Edward took a slow step forward but I stayed frozen. Something was not right. I could sense it. "Do you feel your heartbeat?" Of course I did. It was rapidly pounding out beat after beat, much faster than when I was human, although it felt totally natural. Then it dawned on me. Vampires don't have a heartbeat.

"It didn't work," I said faintly. My worst nightmare was about to become a reality.

"It did," Carlisle said firmly. "Just differently than usual."

"How so?" My voice tight as a drum, I curled up on my toes, waiting for the answer.

"Well, you're not dead for one," Carlisle said seriously. "Your body didn't reject the venom. Your heartbeat is racing, though I have a feeling that's normal." I nodded in agreement. "Your temperature is slightly below a human's but not quite as cold as a vampire's."

"Those aren't vampire traits," I reminded him. "I thought you said it worked."

"Well, we'll have to do a few simple tests, but you could very well have the strength and immortality of a vampire." I eyed the metal table and bounded to it in one fluid motion, taking note of how perfectly my legs worked now. Gripping the table in my hands, I bent and twisted it into a tight ball as easily as if it were made out of sculpting clay. Then I tossed the mass of crumpled metal at the opposite wall, where it left a small dent before dropping to the floor with a heavy thud. Carlisle was smiling, Edward's face still neutral.

"Well, you obviously have the strength," Carlisle said wryly.

"How do we test to check if I'm immortal?" The desire to be accepted as one of them was burning inside of me.

"We don't." Edward's voice cut through the air.

"He's right," Carlisle told me. "We don't need to test that. I'm pretty sure we can just assume you do." This seemed a little foolish but I was willing to go along with them.

"Are you thirsty?" Edward asked suddenly. My hands flew to my throat, expecting the fire to still be lurking there, but I let them drop again when it was no where to be found.

"I don't know," I answered truthfully. The thought of blood no longer grossed me out and the idea of drinking it didn't seem out of the question. But the raw hunger and need to have it wasn't there. "I'm not….thirsty," I said. "But the idea of drinking blood is a little fascinating."

"You are truly something unique Bella." Carlisle said.

"Edward." I reached towards him, confused as to why he hadn't come over to me yet. Was he ashamed of me? Disappointed I would never be like him? "I'm sorry, I didn't know…" It trailed off as a look of alarm came to his face and in the space of one heartbeat he was at my side.

"Bella," he said lovingly. "Don't apologize. We're just curious, that's all. This is something be happy about." He leaned down to kiss me and I eagerly met his lips with mine. His lips were no longer hard and cold. Instead, they matched mine perfectly and only the slightest coolness emanated from him. A cool summer night breeze instead of a winter wind. I wrapped my arms around him, reveling in the way he felt so secure under my fingertips, the way our skin matched. Edward broke off the kiss, leaving me straining for more. He held a finger to my lips, urging me to be patient.

"I'll go tell the others about the outcome," Carlisle said, leaving us alone.

"Would you like to hunt Bella?" Edward asked, throwing open the windows. I considered for a couple seconds and nodded. The thought of hunting thrilled me and I was curious to see if I could live off of animal blood. We jumped out the window, landing side by side. Edward sped off immediately and I rushed after him. My bare feet barely seemed to touch the ground as we raced towards the river. Without hesitation, I leapt as Edward did and landed only a couple feet behind him.

He slowed about ten minutes later and I followed his gaze through the trees. A large moose stood only two hundred feet from us, his tangy scent hanging in the air. With a nod from Edward, I crept forward and huddled into a crouch. On the count of three, I sprang forward before the moose had time react. I landed on top of the massive beast and quickly sank my teeth into his warm neck. Every movement felt completely natural, as if I'd been doing it my entire life. When I had my fill, I moved away, wiping my lips. Edward stood where I had left him, watching with what could only be pride. I grinned and bounded over to him.

"Was that okay?" I asked.

"Perfect," he said. "Did it taste okay?" I shrugged.

"It was good, tasty I suppose, like eating fruit. But it wouldn't have been impossible for me to stop." He gazed at me with admiration mixed with curiosity.

"You're unbelievable," he said, running his thumb down my check. I leaned instinctively into his touch. His thumb moved down to my lips, making them tingle with anticipation. "And yet, it's all still a little disappointing," he murmured quietly, almost to himself.

I jerked away from his touch, as if stung. In a way, I was. How he could he say that? If there was one thing I thought I could always count on, it was Edward's love for me. Yes, it was unbelievable that he could love an insignificant human – but hadn't he proven his love for me to be infinite a hundred times over?

"Bella!" Edward's voice broke through my thoughts. My panic grew as I stared at his perfect face, not bothering to imagine life without him – it would be impossible. Edward grabbed my hands in his, bringing them to his lips.

"Bella, what's wrong?"

"Disappointed?" I whispered, the word causing pain in my throat. Realization dawned on his face immediately.

"No Bella," he said fiercely. "Not disappointed in you." The pain abated a little.

"No?" The question hovered delicately in the air.

"I should have been more careful with my choice of words. Only disappointed because I was hoping to be able to read your thoughts." Relief washed through me, as strong as a tidal wave. I let out a small laugh, my nerves making me sounds a little insane.

"I guess I'm still broken." I was secretly happy that Edward could not read my thoughts still. I coveted the privacy of my own thoughts.

"I wonder if you have any power," Edward asked curiously.

"How would I know?" I asked. The idea that I might have some "superpower" was exciting. Edward shrugged.

"I'm not sure. I knew immediately with mine. I think Alice and Jasper did too." My heart sank slightly with disappointment but I pushed it away. I should be thrilled that I was even alive. And I was. I wrapped my arms around Edward's neck and he scooped me up bridal style.

"Let's go home," he said.

I liked the sound of that.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note – I swore I wouldn't do this but, I'm just gonna bite my tongue and go for it. I'd love it if you guys could review. Even if you have more criticism than positive comments, that's okay. I want to hear it all. Nothing makes me happier Thanks!**

A couple days later, we got the answer to our question. Edward was playing the piano in the living room while I tried very hard to remain in my seat, resisting the urge to jump onto him. I was so entranced; I kept low tabs on the others in the room. My mind registered Emmett snickering quietly in the corner but I paid him no attention. That is, until a humming noise made my head snap up. My eyes landed on an ornate crystal bowl whizzing in the air, coming straight at my head. As soon as I registered this, the bowl slowed down about ten feet away. I reached out to grab it, and turned it over in my hands, knowing the slightest twist of my fingers would turn it to dust.

A movement behind me caught my eye, and I turned, the bowl forgotten. Edward was lunging towards Emmett, his teeth bared. I took in Emmett's sinister grin, suddenly frightened for Edward's safety.

"Edward, no!" I cried out, my high voice laced with worry. Without thinking, I flung out a hand in their direction. We all watched in amazement at what happened next. As Edward approached Emmett, he slowed considerably, as if he was now swimming through water instead of floating through air. He stumbled a few more stops before stopping.

"What the hell?" Emmett growled, watching Edward come to a halt before him. I breathed a sigh of relief as the tension in the room turned to confusion.

Edward looked over at me, an expression of disbelief dawning on his face.

"What?" I asked irritably. "Do you guys really have to attack each other over everything?" I set down the glass bowl a little more forcefully than I intended. A large crack split down the middle, breaking it in two.

"Oh no," I moaned. "Esme, I'm so sorry!"

"It's quite okay Bella," Esme said with an understanding smile.

"Bella," Edward said slowly, walking over to me, his arms outstretched.

"What?" I asked again.

"I think that was you." His perfect brow wrinkled slightly as he stared at me. I began to feel uncomfortable.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Certainly you aren't suggesting Bella stopped you two from attacking each other, Edward?" Carlisle said, though his tone was thoughtful, not dismissive.

"It's not so far fetched Carlisle," Edward said, reaching me. I took his hand and instantly felt better.

"You think I stopped you?" I whispered. Edward nodded.

"I think you have the ability to produce a sort of….force field….around yourself. And possibly around anything you choose."

"The bowl slowed in mid air…" I said, thinking back.

"Exactly," Edward said. "And then you were worried about Emmett and I getting hurt, so you unintentionally stopped us."

I thought back to moments before, trying to remember if I felt anything different.

"Focus Bella," Edward urged. "Try to feel your gift." Carlisle made a noise in the back of his throat, but Edward waved him off. I closed my eyes, feeling ridiculous….until I felt an odd humming around my body. I focused in on it more and was shocked to feel vibration rolling off my body in waves. I played with them a little, stretching the shield out and pulling it back in, startled by how much control I already had over it. A wide smile crept over my face and I opened my eyes. Edward gazed back at me, excitement growing in his golden eyes.

"I feel it," I said, all the while pushing and pulling the shield, feeling it flex under my mind's power. "It's incredible."

"Unbelievable," Carlisle murmured from the corner. "Never have I heard of such a gift."

"What else can you do?" Emmett asked eagerly.

"Don't rush her!" Alice trilled from the corner. "She'll figure it out. Give her a minute." Edward was still staring at me intently. I gazed back, stretching my shield until it reached around him, until I could feel all the contours of his body in my mind, as my shield swept him up in it's grasp. I narrowed my eyes and gave it a firm push, so it broke over Edward, allowing him into my bubble of protection. It closed quickly as soon as he was inside, allowing no one else to enter. With a look of triumph, I looked at Edward and received a shock. Thoughts that were not my own burst into my head. _Bella. She's unbelievable. I couldn't survive without her. _I gasped, and the shield collapsed as I lost focus.

"What happened?" Edward asked, reaching out to me. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I said, still reeling from my discovery. "But Edward….when you were under my shield, I could_ hear_ you."

I heard Esme's delicate gasp from across the room.

"You heard my thoughts?" Edward asked, clearly astounded.

"Yes," I breathed.

"How did you do that?" Emmett said impatiently.

"I don't know," I said slowly. "I wasn't expecting it."

"I wonder…" Carlisle murmured. Edward looked at him thoughtfully.

"What?" I asked, looking between the two of them.

"Carlisle wonders if you have the ability to hear the thoughts of those under your shield."

"Oh," I said. Excitement began to tingle in my toes, spreading through me like a warm blaze of fire. Carlisle came over to stand in front of me.

"Try," he urged. I caught control of myself and moved my shield outwards. Every time I did, it became easier. Just as I had with Edward, I wrapped it around Carlisle before giving a gentle shove. Once he was safely inside, I looked into those gentle eyes, prepared to hear anything. Silence met me. I searched a minute longer between dropping the shield.

"No," I said, shaking my head. "Nothing." Carlisle looked slightly disappointed at the revelation but still managed to give me a smile.

"I suppose you can only hear the thoughts of your mate then," he said. My whole body shivered at the word "mate." I looked over at Edward, his eyes burning with passion.

"Wait!" cried Alice. She glided over to me and took Carlisle's place. "Try me," she said.

"Alice," Edward said. "Bella doesn't need to – "

"Hush!" she cut him off. "Go ahead Bella." My shield reached out to grasp her, and she was soon under its protection. As I gazed at her, Alice's eyes slid out of focus, and I knew she was about to see something. I prepared to drop my shield, but she clutched my hand hard.

"No," she said. "Keep it up." And suddenly I was _seeing_ what she saw. Images swept through my mind. The Volturi, red cloaks, in a royal room. They were making their decision to leave. To come to Forks. To find me.

I dropped to my knees, clutching at my head. I felt Edward at my side but didn't look up until the images faded.

"Bella," he said urgently. "What's wrong?" He must have gotten his answer from Alice because his sharp intake of breath was the next thing I heard. I picked my head up slowly, my mind spinning with the new images burnt into my mind. Edward was crouched next to me, his eyes trained on Alice. I kept my shield pressed close to myself, wanting no more part in what I had just seen. My heartbeat raced, another reminder of just how unwelcome the Volturi would be.

Edward turned to look at me, his amber eyes filled with concern. All I could do was stare at him and wonder what we had possibly got ourselves into.

"I have to leave," I said suddenly. "I'm endangering you, Edward. And your family. I can't be responsible for anything that happens to you guys." I tore my eyes from his face and gazed around the room at the family, _my_ family. Six pairs of eyes were staring back at me with sympathy and understanding.

"Bella," Carlisle said, "Let's not be dramatic. We don't know what the Volturi's visit will bring. Let's not do anything rash." I backed up slowly, until my back was pressed up against the glass door to outside. My temper flared as I took in their calm expressions, so devoted and ready to put their lives on the line, all for me.

"I am not being dramatic," I snarled. Whirling around, I wrenched open the door, tearing it off its hinges. A growl of frustration ripped from my throat and I sprinted through the doorway, into the waiting forest. I was faintly aware of rapid footsteps following behind me, but I only increased my speed and carried on. My eyes welled with tears that dried almost instantly against the oncoming wind. I wanted to put as much distance between the Cullens and I as possible. The Volturi could come and find me elsewhere. My heart thudded on, almost patiently, never faltering or growing tired. It's constant beat became a rhythm to run to. _Step. Beat. Step. Beat._

After what must have been hours, I slowed to a walk. I could have kept running but a change of pace sounded nice. I hadn't noticed the light of day fade into night and the stars became my guides, twinkling from up above, waving down at me. I glared up at them, infuriated by their friendliness. Suddenly, I let out an animal-like howl of fury and fell to my knees. Unable to contain my horror-filled desperation, I buried my face in my hands and sobbed. Life, it seemed, was never fair. Never. It seemed I had just found Edward, had just found happiness, and now it would be taken away from me.

The soft crush of grass beneath a foot caused my head to snap up. Instinctively, I lowered into a crouched position, waiting for the intruder to show himself. A minute later, Edward came into view, looking as pristine as if he had just left the house for a leisurely stroll, when he must have been running for hours.

His expression did not change as he walked over to me, somehow knowing I would make no move towards him. Once he had me in his arms, I crumpled into him, sagging against his granite body. He stroked my hair, whispering sweet words in my ear.

"Oh Edward," I whispered, once I had regained my ability to speak.

"Shhh," he said comfortingly, his love and understanding making my heart hurt. His fingers were rose petals against my face and I leaned into his touch. Our lips met, the sweet taste twisted with the salt from my tears. My previous thoughts of leaving him took flight as I breathed in his smell, and my fingers began to flirt with the hem of his shirt. We continued for a little while until his long fingers grasped mine and ended their guilty wandering. An annoyed sound bubbled from my lips, quickly followed by Edward's knowing smile.

"We have to go back." The words hung in the air, then came crashing down with Edward's affirmative nod.

"I'm so embarrassed," I muttered, feeling the shame simmer beneath the surface of every other emotion I had gone through in the last few days.

"They understand," Edward said gently. "Understanding your gift will take a while and the pressure we are all under certainly doesn't help. But trust me Bella, they do all understand. We are all ready to stand behind you, no matter what." He held out a hand to me, an offering. I took a deep breath, feeling the air rush into my lungs, then took Edward's hand, knowing that no matter happened next, I would never have to face anything alone ever again.


	5. Chapter 5

I practiced almost non-stop the next two days, learning all the ins and outs of my new gift, until I was sure I had a pretty firm grasp on my shield. Edward was very adamant, almost to an alarming extent, that I fully understand my gift.

"Do it again," he said, shaking his head, those granite lips pursed slightly. I had already been at it for five hours. It wasn't that I was tired, but it was boring. Edward had recruited Jasper to help and I had been pushing my shield over him the entire afternoon. The later it got, the edgier Jasper became. I had a feeling he didn't like me being able to control _his_ emotions for a change.

"Edward," I said through my teeth, jerking my head almost imperceptibly in Jasper's direction. My blonde brother was leaning against a rock, a hard look on his face, one that looked eerily similar to the one he wore right before a kill.

As soon as Edward met my eyes, he features softened and he strode over, just a blur against the green trees. His marble hand went up to stroke my face and I leaned in for a kiss. I vaguely noticed Jasper stalk past us, meeting Alice on the front porch, the two of them disappearing inside.

"Sorry," Edward said, breaking away. His fingers tangled in my hair, his lips bent low around my neck.

"It's okay," I murmured, gently nudging his chin upwards. "But I think I've got a pretty good handle on it." I saw something flit across his amber eyes but it lingered for less than one beat of my heart.

"What's wrong?" I asked. "Something's bothering you." He shook his head, taking my hand. My fingers, now smooth and flawless, still felt impossibly small in his. I was more than tempted to pull my shield over him and peek into his thoughts. But as much as my head told me it was the practical thing to do, my heart told me to let it be. Whatever was worrying Edward, I knew he would protect me at all costs.

"We don't have a lot of time," he said, pulling me back towards the house. I already knew this. The Volturi would be here in several short hours. I had seen it in Alice's vision. I shuddered as I remembered the vision. How the world had folded in on itself and foreign word and images had invaded my mind like smoke, infiltrating all the corners, until I could see nothing but the future. I had no intention of ever looking into Alice's mind again, at least not on purpose.

The house was filled with tension, so palpable I wanted to roll it up in a ball and throw it out the window. Carlisle and Esme were up in his study; I could hear them quietly talking with another. Emmett was sitting on the couch with Rosalie who was curled underneath his arm, his fingers stroking her hair every now and then. At first glance, Emmett himself appeared to be calm and concentrated on the football game in front of him. But I knew better. The way his foot tapped out a steady beat on the floor, the way his eyes would occasionally flit to the door and windows as though he expected the Volturi to burst in then and there – these were all signs he was expecting a fight and ready to go. I didn't see or hear Alice and Jasper but I had no doubt they were holed away somewhere, spending as much time as possible with each other.

Emmett's head snapped around as we entered, but he relaxed a second later, his attention drawn back to the noisy television set. I fled to the stairs, unable to bear being around the others, knowing I was the cause in this shift of usual serenity.

Edward pulled me down onto the bed in a gentle embrace. I curled up next to him, my spine pressing against his solid chest. Both of us painfully aware of my heart – so loud and present. I held a hand to my chest, half-hoping my touch would dull the sound, but of course it thudded on faithfully. We laid in what seemed like an interminable silence. I was content to stay in this exact position forever, alternating between counting the threads of the comforter and trying to match my breathing with Edwards. My body was still but my mind flew back and forth, rocking around in my head until my very skull felt bruised. It was constantly counting down the hours, minutes, seconds we had until the Volturi arrived. At the same time, I was trying to soak up just how perfect this moment really was. When my mind finally felt like the runny scrambled eggs Charlie used to make when I was little, I closed my eyes and nestled in closer to Edward, attempting to clear my head completely. His fingers caressed my hair gently, trailing down my neck to creep along my spine. I shivered with pleasure and turned over to stare at him. It was in that moment that I realized how breathtaking he truly was. Even without the sun, his skin gleamed like a polished facet of a diamond. His eyes glowed like the stars, my own private suns to light up the world. And the perfect angle of his cheekbones, leading a path right to his flawless lips that matched mine like a puzzle piece.

As if he predicted the frown that would soon follow my contemplations, he pressed his lips against mine, his one hand twisted in my hair while the other pressed firmly against the small of my back. I kissed with hunger, with a need I knew could never be filled. My arms wrapped around his granite body; I leaned in with urgent force, wishing I could melt right into him.

He sensed my sudden shift in power and fought back with his own. I felt his fingertips rake my skull but the pain didn't come. Instead, it drove us both farther, nearer to the edge of the cliff we were bound to fall over sooner or later.

At last, he pulled away. My brain was still going; his light touch restrained my fervent pleads. He put a finger to my lips, which I promptly kissed. He smiled and gave me a kiss on the forehead before standing up. I looked at his offered hand, so sleek and perfect, ready to drag me up once again. Once standing, I felt the old alarm rise again. Edward's brow was furrowed as he stared out the window.

"Can you hear them?" I asked quietly.

"Not yet," he answered, although whether I believed him was the real question. We headed downstairs and found the others in the living room, ready to go.

"We'll meet them at the field," Alice said to the rest of us. Jasper was already hovering protectively over her.

"We better go," Carlisle said with a nod. Edward and I trailed behind the others. I took time to gaze at the trees, still moist with the previous day's rain. The sun filtered in through the clouds, golden beams of light scattered across the forest. It didn't take long to arrive at the field where we had once played baseball. Those days seemed long ago, and the idea of playing a game for the mere fun of it seemed like something out of a storybook.

"They're close," Edward said suddenly, clutching my hand. I felt the others brace themselves and felt wholly unprepared for what lay ahead. "You'll be fine," Edward said, while keeping his gaze on the thick forest in front of us.

"I will never let them lay a hand on you, ever." His voice was fierce and I tried to give him a smile but could only manage what must have been a tremulous grimace. I had no other time to think, for at that moment, several black figures stepped forward out of the trees. I'm not sure how they did it, but a thick fog swirled lazily around their feet, giving the impression of approaching grim reapers. The world was silent as they crept slowly forward, coming to a stop a mere thirty feet from us. Aro led the group but only by inches; Marcus and Caius flanked either side of him. The twins Jane and Alec followed closely behind. A few others fell in step behind the other five. I recognized Demetri, the tracker, and Felix, the brute who could easily rival Emmett's immense size. Three others I didn't know. Eleven to our eight. Not the unfeasible difference I had been imagining.

"Carlisle," Aro said, nodding to his old friend. "How nice it is to see you again. And looking so well I might add."

"Thank you," Carlisle said. "I hope the feeling will remain mutual between us." Aro's head cocked slightly and his bright eyes traveled over Emmett and Rosalie, then Jasper. He held his gaze on Alice, who smiled pleasantly.

"Alice m'dear," Aro said, his voice much too sweet for my liking.

"Hello Aro." Her melodious voice never wavered as she met his stare. He beckoned her forward. Alice laid a hand on Jasper's arm when he tried to follow her. Aro grabbed at her hand greedily. Within a few moments, his face attained a sour look before smoothing back over.

"I see you have not changed your mind," Aro said, sounding a little disappointed.

"Not yet," she trilled, returning to her spot next to Jasper.

"On with what we came for," Marcus spoke in his low growl, his red eyes never leaving Edward's face. I suddenly feared for his safety and quickly wrapped the entire Cullen clan under my shield, drawing in the corners until it fit nice and snug. My eyes flitted to Jane, whose smirk was growing larger by the second. My eyes narrowed as I met her gaze. A second later, I knew I had been triumphant. Jane's smirk fell by the smallest degree as she tried her gift over and over, moving on to the different individuals under my shield. I could feel her gift trying to penetrate through it, but it was like trying to cut stone with a toothpick. My power was no match for hers.

"Ah, Bella," Aro said, his voice returning to sickeningly sweetness.

"Hello Aro," I said, surprised by how confident my voice sounded. At least one part of me was on the right track.

"Her heart beats on," Caius said.

Again, Aro held out his hand, waiting for me to come forward. I dropped Edward's hand and took the ancient vampire's offer. His skin felt paper thin, yet held the impossible youth of his – our – kind. He dropped my hand a moment later with a grimace – I knew he hadn't seen anything – and I returned to Edward, who spoke.

"She has been turned," he said, addressing the lot of them. "She has the strength, the speed," he hesitated before continuing, "and a gift." Aro's surprise showed on his face, as much as he may have tried to hide it. Without wasting time, Edward strode over and this time it was he who held out his hand. Aro took it but his crimson eyes never left mine. I watched with satisfaction as his expression turned to one of disbelief. My upper lip curled slightly, enough to show him my teeth and my general dislike of the entire situation. A sick smile spread across his face, causing me to dig my feet more firmly into the ground. I would not back down.

"How…. interesting," Aro said when he had seen everything. Edward returned to my side, wrapping a protective arm around my waist. Now he spoke to all of us.

"It is not often that we face a…situation…we have never encountered before." He spoke slowly and dramatically. "We shall discuss this issue. Please, give us time." He turned his back and faced his brothers.

"He's confused," Edward murmured, his voice barely audible.

"Is that good?" Caius was shaking his head, muttering angrily at Aro. Marcus just stood there, looking incredibly bored. Edward didn't answer; he was too busy trying to decipher everyone's thoughts. I wondered what would happen. They would most likely make us leave Forks, perhaps force us apart for some time, until things cooled down a little. When Edward's body suddenly went stiff as a board, I thought Jane had broken through my shield. I panicked, racing to pull it back around him, but it appeared to be whole and intact. And Jane was examining her fingernails, that evil smile still in place.

"Edward," I said, abandoning all pretense of being quiet. I tugged on his hand. "Edward, what's wrong?" The others were watching us now. Carlisle was staring at his son worriedly. "Edward please, you're scaring me!" I pleaded. He turned his face towards me, but I recognized no part of him. His eyes were hollow and unseeing, staring past me. Filled with so much pain, I had to look away. His mouth was slack and his nostrils flared. It was the look of a man on fire.

"Okay Alice!" he suddenly whispered harshly. "I get it."

"Good," she said. I looked between them frantically, my mind working overtime to fill in the missing gaps. What was going on?

The Volturi had come to decision; Aro had turned back around, his hands clasped together in front of him. The sad smile he wore sent chills down my spine. Again, those scarlet eyes bore into mine, as though looking to penetrate into my very soul.

"Her heart beats my friends. No blood may flow through her veins but she is not one of us. Her state…it is too unpredictable. We could never be sure of what she would do. Could do." My mind went blank as I comprehended what Aro's words meant.

"Let's call her a threat. Or better yet…a liability." He turned to Carlisle.

"She will have to go, my friend." I instinctively lowered into a crouch, hissing, but Edward, who had jumped in front of me, blocked my view. How dare they! Even I could see these were merely excuses. The Volturi simply wanted the Cullens weakened. With me gone, Edward would soon follow – they had to know that – and with Edward gone, who knows what might happen to the rest of them. I didn't need to be a mind reader to know the Volturi thought we were too big. Too much competition.

"It is not wise to fight us," Caius warned. I looked around and saw the rest of my family, crouched to the ground, ready to fight. Ready to die.

"We do not wish to fight," Carlisle said. Emmett hissed wildly behind him, his fingers raking across the ground, bringing up huge handfuls of earth.

"Surrender her then," Caius spat. "And there will be no fight."

"We will not do that," Carlisle said and I saw his brilliant compassion in those golden eyes. The ones that had saved my life, had saved the lives of those surrounding me. Felix took a step closer and I felt the venom well in my mouth.

"Wait!" cried Alice suddenly. "What if Bella had something to offer? What if you used her gift? Then would you want her dead? Think about it Aro. It's possibly the most powerful gift you'll ever see. She has wonderful control over it; think of what she is capable of."

Suddenly, everything clicked. This is why Edward had been drilling me so hard the last few days. He had had known the Volturi would not leave me alone. He had guessed they would be unsympathetic to my condition. He had been trying to prepare me as best as possible. Because Alice was right. My gift was the best chance I had.

"No, Alice," growled Edward.

"Shut up Edward," Alice said lightly, walking back over to Aro. This time, Jasper followed behind. I kept my shield closely around them, only unveiling Alice's hand for Aro to grasp.

"What an imagination you have," Aro said, grinning, stroking her petite fingers.

"Change of plans," he announced a moment later. "Alice has just stopped me from making a most dreadful decision. There is no doubt we have great need of Bella's gift." Edward snarled and I found a low growl seeping from my throat.

"It is the best offer you will get," he continued, addressing Edward. "That, or we rip her to pieces. What will it be?" The silence stretched tight across the field, only broken by a whistle of wind that I sworn could have been a howl.

"All right," Edward said eventually. "Bella and I will accompany you in Italy. We will come."

"Oh no," Aro said. "We must require _all_ of you to come with us. Imagine us, splitting up a family? No, that we will not do." I saw the twisted lies beneath his words. I had seen the way he envied Alice and Edward. He wanted them almost as badly as he wanted me. Now he could have all three. And more. This time it was Carlisle who spoke.

"We will follow you Aro," he said. "Give us time to make preparations and we will come."

"How do we know you will keep you word?" Caius said, fingertips clasped together.

"Oh, they will make good on their promise. Don't make a liar out of me sweetheart," Aro said to me before turning on his heel. That last threat lingered in the air as their black capes were lifted by the wind. They strode out of the clearing, just as dramatically as they had come. If I hadn't been so relieved to escape with my life, I would have recognized that no matter how many times I watch the dark retreat, it always manages to find a way to slink back in.


	6. Chapter 6

Everyone was very quiet as they made their way back towards the house. I clutched Edward's hand tightly, staring straight ahead. I knew he kept trying to give me loving glances but I wanted no part in that. The guilt was rushing up inside of me, even through the rational part of me knew there was no way around the Volturi's decision. I knew I was lucky to be alive, but glancing around at my family members, I couldn't help feel remorse for pulling them away from their home. Realizing I still had my shield wrapped around everyone, I slowly reined it back in, pressing it close to my body.

When we arrived back at the house, everyone went their different ways. I followed Edward up to our room and sat, stunned, on the bed. He pulled a couple suitcases from the middle of nowhere and started piling our clothes in. I watched him blankly, the pile of clothes growing before me.

"It's going to be okay Bella," Edward said, stopping to place a hand on my cheek. "I know you're worried and scared but you have to focus right now. All this has to be very calculated and you have to be ready for anything." Edward was right; I had to snap out of it and get with the program. I would do no one any good by being unprepared. I stood up.

"What do you need me to do?" My hands automatically began folding the clothes on the bed and stuffing them into the suitcases. Edward opened his mouth to respond, but stopped. I waited patiently, zipping up both suitcases.

"Jacob's here," Edward said tightly. I felt my heart drop slightly. I had not seen Jake since I had been changed into a vampire. "You have to go see him Bella. I'll stay here, getting ready. But I'll be listening in." I headed for the door. "And Bella?" I turned, his worried gaze washing over me. "Be quick. There's a lot to do." Images of saying goodbye to Charlie flashed in my mind, but I pushed them away. I nodded, still silent.

Jake was waiting in the front yard, leaning against one of the huge oak trees that bordered the river. I strode over to him, following his gaze into the river. It was calm and peaceful, our reflections shimmering on its surface.

"You didn't change all the way," he said gruffly. I looked at him, startled. "Your heart beats," he said to my questioning face. I frowned; it was always my heart that gave me away.

"Most of the way though," I argued. Jake shrugged. I bit my tongue, now was not the time to argue.

"What do you want Jake? We're kind of busy inside."

"Who were they? We could smell them. There must have been nine or ten."

"Eleven," I said automatically.

"Whatever," Jake said. "What did they want?"

"It was the Volturi," I answered, staring back out at the river. "They came here to kill me." I said it in a very matter of fact tone but Jake raised his eyes. "They are the vampire…. royalty," I continued. "They came to check if I was still human."

"But you aren't," Jake broke in. I smiled wryly. No, I was far from human.

"They weren't too happy my heart is still going." I remembered Jane's dangerous smirk and Caius's cool, calculating gaze and shuddered.

"Then why are you still here?" Jake asked bluntly.

"Alice," I said. "Alice saved me. She showed them how I could be useful to them."

"Useful?" Jake's dark eyes were guarded but curious. I watched a fish swim just beneath the river's surface. It disappeared in a second, carried downstream by the current.

"They were going to kill me if I didn't go Jake." I hated the pleading in my voice, but he had to understand. This was not my choice.

"Go where?" he demanded.

"To Italy. They want me to go live with them."

"No." Jake's voice was level as he shook his head. He ran his fingers through his dark hair, making it stick up. "Don't go," he said. He made it sound so much easier than it was.

"I have to," I said, almost whispering. "We all have to." His eyes wandered up the house. His lips pressed together as he sorted everything out in his head.

"You said you let me go," I said after a while. When he turned towards me, those dark eyes were smoldering.

"I _never_ said that Bella." I bit my lip and turned away. As much as I knew I had no other choice, this was agonizingly hard.

"I'm sorry Jake. Please believe me when I say we had no other choice. I would never choose to leave here if it was up to me. But it's not up to me anymore."

"I don't believe you." His voice was hard and grating and sharp enough to shred my heart.

The door to the house opened and I heard Edward walk up. His hand curled around mine and I leaned into his shoulder.

"It was not her choice Jacob." Jake was out of words; he simply stared at us.

"It's the only thing I could do to keep her safe. To keep her alive. You of all people must understand that. This isn't some ploy to take her away from you." Jake flinched as Edward's words hit home. "I would never do that to you. But I _had_ to keep her safe." This time it was Edward who was pleading with Jake. When I looked at my best friend, I didn't see a werewolf or a young man. I saw a boy. A scared, pain-filled boy who had had his heart broken over and over by the only girl he had ever loved.

"Good-bye Jake," I murmured. I gave his hand a squeeze before heading back to the house.. As I watched a window, he turned and walked away. When he was completely out of sight, I drew the curtains, closing off the outside world. Edward was standing behind me, waiting. I shook my head.

"Don't say anything. I just want to get going."

All of us were ready to go in less than an hour. Edward held my hand in the car as we waited for the others. Rosalie and Emmett had already left for the airport. Actually, Rosalie had stormed out of the house soon after Jake had left, Emmett following close behind her. Alice and Jasper were driving separately. So, really, we were just waiting for Carlisle and Esme. I snuck a glance out of the window. Esme was standing in front of the house, her arms clasped around herself. Carlisle had his arm around her and I could hear him whispering comforting words to her. After another minute, they joined us. Edward drove with Carlisle riding shotgun while Esme and I settled into the back.

"Esme," I started. She placed a slender hand over mine.

"It's okay Bella. Italy is beautiful. It will be fun living there for a while." After that, no one spoke, not even after we arrived at the airport, or got settled onto the plane. It was only after take-off that Edward spoke. And it was only a few words.

"Everything's going to be alright Bella." Leaning against his steady shoulder, I begged to differ. Honestly, I couldn't see how anything was ever going to be right again.


	7. Chapter 7

It wasn't long before we were outside of Volterra, staring up at the imposing city. I couldn't remember how we had gotten into the Volturi's palace when we had come to save Edward – location hadn't exactly been on my mind – but it was still a surprise when two cloaked figures met us in an alleyway.

"Nuncio and Alida," Edward whispered to me. "It is their usual job to fetch those ordered to Court."

Much of the two messenger's features disappeared underneath the shadow of their cloaks but I could make out their red eyes and sinister smiles. Wasn't anyone around here friendly?

They led us down to a familiar tunnel, one I had walked with Edward before. We walked through a shard of light coming from an above window and the skin on my hand sparkled fabulously. I grimaced, tucking my arm in beside me. I noticed I was situated in the middle of our group – giving off the impression the rest of the Cullens were protecting me. Old habits die hard.

Aro, Caius and Marcus sat regally on their thrones. Each one bore their usual mask of expression: Aro, excited and slightly maniacal, Caius, his eyes cool and calculating, and Marcus, never failing to appear incredibly bored.

"Ah the Cullens," Aro said, descending from his chair. "That was quick. What? Less than twenty-four hours?" He clasped his hands together eagerly. "Are we ready for our long-term stay?" Not a single one of us moved a muscle. Only when Aro's eyes narrowed threateningly did Carlisle speak.

"Of course Aro. Excuse us; we are still slightly disoriented from the sudden change."

"Of course, of course," Aro said smoothly. "How rude of us. You must want to get to your rooms." Rosalie shifted beside me, her gold hair glittering. Emmett laid a hand on the small of her back, calming her.

"That would be appreciated," Carlisle said. Aro nodded at one of the messengers – Alida I think – and she stepped forward.

"You know where to take them," Aro said. We all turned to leave but Aro gave a small sigh.

"Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate all of you in the same space." Edward's eyes narrowed in distrust. "So we have made other arrangements for some of you. Edward and Bella will stay here with us. We have a splendid house for the rest of you. It is very finely decorated," he said with a nod to Esme. She gave him a small, polite smile. Edward was shaking his head.

"Aro, you have pulled us away from our home, from our comforts, and now you want to pull apart our family."

"If it was up to Caius, Bella would be staying here by herself," Aro explained. Edward gave a snarl and I felt my lip rise in anger.

"Yes, I imagined you would have that reaction. That is why I managed to snag you both a room here."

"Aro," Carlisle spoke, his voice strained. "Do not split up my family."

"You can come and see them as much as you would like," Caius said, not budging. Carlisle sighed. He and I saw there would be no winning this battle today.

"Very well," Carlisle said. Edward and I watched the others leave. I felt rooted to the spot. How could they be doing this?

Aro turned his blood red eyes to me. I felt Edward take a step forward, putting him between the royals and me.

"Bella," said Aro smoothly. "I'm so curious to learn what your gift is capable of." I immediately covered Edward in my shield, not liking Aro's hungry gaze.

"Please, show me." I looked at Edward questioningly. How could I show him something like this? For a split second, I peered into Edward's eyes, wanting him to tell me what to do."

_Use his gift,_ Edward instructed._ Take him under your shield and take his gift from him. You'll see every thought he's ever had._ I wondered how that would prove anything but shrugged. Another second later and Aro was under my shield. I kept Edward tucked under it also, not trusting Jane. Hesitantly, I gazed into those bright eyes and held out my hand. His eye's glowed like rubies and I could see my reflection in them. They were like scarlet pools of the past. His hand met mine and almost instantly, a torrent of thoughts rushed into my head. The pressure was incredible and I broke his gaze to hold my head in my hands. First Alice and now Aro. It's a wonder their heads didn't explode every time they touched someone – or in Alice's case, saw the future.

When I looked back up, Aro was watching the two of us carefully.

"So you can read thoughts?" he questioned. I bit my lip, unsure if I should tell him the truth or not. In the end, I decided he would force it out of Edward's mind whether I said anything or not.

"No," I said, my voice ringing out. "I can take the gifts of others." Silence met me. Even Marcus looked slightly shocked. "As long as they're under my shield." Now, almost everyone's eyebrows were raised. Edward took my hand and I found the reassuring coolness of his wedding band. Touching it gave me strength. "I have a shield," I said, explaining. "When I wrap it around people, I can protect them from other's gifts. From anything really. But I can also take the gift of someone under my shield by looking at them." Aro was now looking back and forth between Edward and I excitedly.

"Who is it around now?" he asked eagerly. I hesitated.

"Edward," I said slowly.

"So you can read his thoughts?" I nodded.

"Fascinating." Aro was silent for a moment.

"Take if off," commanded Caius.

"What?" I asked, startled.

"Take it off of your mate," Caius repeated. I shook my head. No way was I leaving Edward unprotected. "Don't you trust us?" Caius asked slyly. If I answered no, that would look bad. Very bad. But if I answered yes, well, that left Edward out in the open, unprotected. I knew Jane was eagerly awaiting a chance to torture him. Edward nodded at me, and I felt him brace himself underneath my shield. Slowly, I pulled the edges back in towards myself, hoping my dawdling might deter Jane.

I was wrong.

As soon as Edward stood unprotected, vulnerable, she hit him. His limbs went taut as his face filled with pain. He gave a moan of agony and I screamed. I scrambled to fix my shield around him as he fell to his knees. As soon as all the holes were covered, he fell silent, shivering against the marble ground. I dropped beside him, running a hand through his hair.

"Edward," I whispered. "You'll be okay. Everything's okay now." His eyes found mine but I looked away, not wanting to intrude on his thoughts. Instead, I glared up at Jane, who was smiling pleasantly at me. I snarled nastily at her but stayed where I was.

"Now, now," Aro said, watching the exchange. "No need to turn hostile Bella." I stared at him, incredulous. "And Jane, that was rude." He spoke as though chastising a child. By now, Edward was back on his feet, recovered.

"We'll be off to our room now," Edward said, inclining his head towards Aro. When Aro spoke, Edward cut him off. "Don't bother," he said towards the remaining messenger. "We'll show ourselves the way." Edward grabbed my hand and we left, turning our backs to the enemy. Something you should never, _ever_ do.


	8. Chapter 8

Our "room" was really a palace suite. It was done up in red velvet, from the heavy drapes that kept out any light to the plush comforter covering the large, king-size bed. Gold and scarlet tapestries hung from the wall. When I walked into the bathroom, a trail of rose petals circled the large bathtub. The royal effect was a little overwhelming and I sat down on the bed, trying to take it all in.

"This is all a little….much," I said to Edward who was surveying the place in his own way. I see him peeking into corners, lifting rugs and even saw him punch the ceiling lightly.

"What did you expect?"

"Not this," I admitted. In truth, I did not know what I had expected. I thought Aro might try to make us a little uncomfortable as to show his power, but then I realized he had already done that by forcing us to leave Forks and then ripping our family apart.

"It's a prison," Edward said through gritted teeth. As if to demonstrate his point, he tried to open the door we had entered through, only to find it locked. Any attempt to take it down would make noise enough to have the whole army descending upon us. I glanced towards the windows but Edward saw me and shook his head.

"Locked. Besides, that's fake glass and light. No doubt, a strong steel wall is behind it, probably two feet thick. Metal floors underneath these floorboards. Same with the ceiling," he said, shaking his head in disgust. My eyes widened in horror. They had trapped us in a huge metal cage.

"Oh Edward," I whispered, suddenly needing him close. He understood and sat beside me on the bed. I lied down, pulling him with me, and buried my head in his chest.

"I'm so sorry," I murmured.

"Everything will be okay Bella. I had a suspicion coming to Court meant something like this. They won't keep it up for long. A day or two at the most. It's just like this for right now so Aro can show his control over us." A never-ending display of male dominance.

"What do they want from me?"

"Power, love," Edward said softly. "They want power."

We lay together for a while, listening to my heartbeat. For some reason, I had almost expected it to sound different in Italy, in the presence of so many vampires, but it was the same as always. Loud and annoying.

"Edward," I said suddenly. "What would happen if you bit me again?" He shrugged.

"Probably nothing." He saw my disappointment and stroked my hair.

"Bella, you are a complete vampire, don't worry about them." The only problem with that plan was "them" just happened to be ruling our lives right now.

Being imprisoned got very dull very quickly. I took to walking circles around the bedroom, out to the small living room, through the even smaller kitchen and back to the bedroom. I stayed out the bathroom; the scent of those rose petals made me sick. Edward went back to reading his book, glancing up at me very time I walked into the bedroom.

"Bella," he said. "Why don't you come sit with me?" I eyed the spot next to him but continued on with my pacing. My mid-afternoon I had worn a nice path right into that velvet carpet. When the door opened, both Edward and I joined together and I quickly pulled my shield over both of us. A figure in a dark cloak stepped through the door, looking directly at Edward.

"She wants us to go with her. She's going to give us a tour of the place," he explained, his voice twisted with sarcasm. I leapt at the chance to leave my jail cell and quickly followed the vampire out the door.

She led us through what I knew were miles of twisted tunnels as we crept closer and closer underneath Volterra. I couldn't see where she was taking us at all and eventually I had to question whether we were to keep following her or not.

"Edward," I hissed under my breath. "Let's go back; we're obviously not going anywhere." He didn't answer which was unusual. Maybe he was just as confused as I was. The tunnels were now lit by the glow of torches along the wall, adding a medieval touch to the castle. The shadows danced off the walls and reflected in Edward's eyes like golden sparks. Suddenly, the figure stopped and I felt Edward tense automatically, moving into a crouch in front of me, arms bent and ready for a fight. Instantly, I bent into a defensive posture as well. I heard a light laugh from the figure, which only infuriated me. Who was she to laugh? The hood was slowly lifted by pale hands and a stream of perfectly straight blonde hair reached down her back, a waterfall of lost humanity. In front of me, Edward's head cocked slightly to the side as if the stranger's thoughts had suddenly changed. When she turned around, I let out an audible gasp. I had never seen such a delicate looking vampire. And aside from Rosalie, one so beautiful. The long blonde hair was only the beginning; it framed a perfectly oval face that was shaped by high cheekbones. Her eyes were red but I had to seriously wonder what color they had been in life. Her lips were pale as every other vampire's, my rational mind knew that, but they seemed rosier, fuller, than any I had seen in a long time. And she was so very young, fifteen at most.

"Quiet, _domare_," she spoke to Edward, a small smile gracing the lips. She was so beautiful it made me want to cry. I didn't know what the second word meant. Maybe it was Latin but I'd taken French all through high school. "You must want to see your family." I took my eyes off her for a split second to gauge Edward's reaction. His eyes were wary but there was also something there that made me less nervous. She frowned. "No? Was I perhaps wrong?" For the first time, her red eyes flickered over me. A small crease appeared between her two perfectly shaped eyebrows. When no response from either of us came, she sighed. "Very well, I was only trying to do something nice. My name is Lillian by the way, but please call me Lily. My birth name just seems so _old_, doesn't it?"

"Why?" The snarl ripped out of my throat with an aggression that took even me by surprise. Another amused smile but this time it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"We are not all the horrible monsters you think us to be. I have heard much about you, Bella." It was reasonable she knew my name but it still freaked me out. Edward seemed to have made a decision. He straightened up. The red eyes left me.

"I dare say you can find your own way to them?" He nodded curtly.

"Very well, _domare._ But I do ask you respect this decision of mine. Although I am not so comfortable of my place here, I do value my life a bit." There it was, that word again. I made a mental note to ask Edward what it meant later. Lily disappeared with just a flurry of rustled air and Edward and I were running. I trailed one or two steps behind me, letting him take the lead but only just barely. After about another fifteen minutes, he stopped suddenly. I skidded past him a few feet but darted back to his side quickly. He was already busy examining…the wall.

"Edward," I whispered into the air by his ear.

"Hush, love," he breathed, long fingers up against the stone. I was only going to point out that he was indeed stroking _a wall _but whatever.

Ugh, men.

All of a sudden, I was thinking how much I'd like to leave here, part of the wall started crumbling away and fall right where Edward was standing. Using my new reflexes without thinking, I pulled Edward towards me and then behind my back, arms outspread in the very same protective stance he had used on me not twenty minutes ago. To my surprise though, he chuckled lightly in my ear.

"It's just a door, love. A hidden door." I straightened slightly, feeling stupid. Yeah, I could see that now. "Go ahead. Take a look; it will make you feel better." Still slightly on guard, I crept forward and it became obvious. Yes, the door looked like it had crumbled away but really I could see where a weapon (or granite hands) had carved it to look exactly like that. I peered somewhat anxiously into the black void beyond but Edward scooted in before me. I had no choice but to follow. Being an indestructible vampire didn't seem to make me any less cautious about entering dark caves.

It actually wasn't a cave at all; it turned out to be a basement. It was smaller than what I originally though, no more than ten square feet. My sensitive ears picked up on noise above my head and I sucked in a breath. In the next moment, a door about ten feet above my head had been thrown open and in the rectangle of soft light was,

"Alice!" I flew up the stairs and threw my arms around her.

"Shh," she warned in my ear. "Quiet." I bit my lip and mouthed,

"Sorry." Carlisle, Esme, and Jasper were standing in the kitchen of a very ornate house. Esme hugged Edward tightly but my husband's eyes were locked on Carlisle's and burning with an intensity I'd only seen a few times before. Mostly through the haze of turning into a werewolf or vampire, cloudy memories that crowded the edges of my mind. Fear and anger and a sliver of hopelessness that wasn't like him at all. As Esme pulled me into her embrace as well, Carlisle and Edward walked to the other side of the room and began speaking in such low, fast tones, I had no hope of following from all the way over here. Then I realized what the background noise was. Rosalie and Emmett were upstairs and Rosalie was screeching at the top of her lungs, demanding to go home. Emmett's deep voice brought only reassurances but no affirmations.

"Don't worry about, Rose," Esme said, sensing what I was thinking. "She just needs to let loose some steam."

"Alice, have you seen anything?" I ask. We both sit on the couch, in need for some normality. My stomach lurched when my sister-in-law shook her head.

"Nothing. Aro's making no decisions. He's learned a few things." A burst of pure anger trembled through the air as Edward exploded across the room

"I can't see!" he roared at Carlisle. "But that doesn't mean I'm blind!" Carlisle's voice rose but the hushed tones did nothing to appease Edward and after another minute, he shook his head and strode across the hands.

"Let's go," he growled. I flashed an apologetic look to Esme and Alice but they both were just staring worriedly at Edward.

We flew quickly and silently back to our prison, which was still open. The minute we got inside, Edward stalked to the bathroom and I heard the lock click. I sat on the bed, waiting. He wasn't in there for long and when he came out, a different kind of look was etched upon his face. He was standing in front of me in one stride and then I was on my back as he hovered over me. My body pulsed with being so close to him and although it wasn't the place and it certainly wasn't the time, I kissed him.


	9. Chapter 9

I'm not sure how long it went on, us lying there together, limbs and various body parts too entangled in each other to tell who was who anymore. Instead, we were one thrumming organism melting around the edges until my mind was swimming with desire and passion and love. It was a soft feeling, like cottonballs had been shoved in my ears, making my breathing seem louder than it really was, magnifying every beat of our heart. My heart.

We only pulled apart when a warning knock came on the door. My mind was still dizzy from the past few hours or however long it had been but Edward seemed to have been on high alert the whole time and was up and at the door before I had time to hastily pull on a shirt.

When the door opened, another guard stood on the threshold, although his appearance was far from Lily. He wore no elaborate cape but he was all in black. Black shoes, pants, a linen button down shirt. He was massive also, easily three times as wide as Edward and a foot taller. He reminded me of Felix. I hesitated by the bedside, unsure of what was going on.

"Let's go, Bella," Edward said to me after a moment. I floated to his side and followed him out the door. The guard walked briskly ahead of us, his two legs moving with the natural fluidity that seemed so normal around this place. I'm not sure if I would ever get used to it though. My human years were still vividly imprinted in my mind, images that hadn't faded with time or venom. Forks. Charlie. My old truck that had been lost in the accident.

Jacob.

"Where are we going?" I asked, desperate to get that last picture out of my eyes.

"I don't know," Edward said shortly.

We didn't go far, not this time. Just down a couple hallways and up a flight of marble stairs. The room we enter is empty except for the three figures standing inside. Two are guards dressed exactly like the one that had led us here and the third figure is massive in size and shape. His dark brown hair is wavy and his skin is the obvious milk white but his red eyes are cruel and narrowed in hard amusement.

"Felix," Edward said. "What is going on?" Felix doesn't answer right away and I take the time to make sure my shield is adequately covering Edward is every possible way. Even so, I doubt its strength would hold up in a fight against Felix, much less Felix and his three large friends. No, this fight couldn't get physical.

"If I knew how Aro's mind worked," Felix sneered. "Do you think I would still be here?" I was shocked. This was the first time I had heard of any dissatisfaction from any member of the Royal Guard.

"You not as stupid as you look," Edward chided. "Surely, you know what he wants."

"I do not." Edward shrugged, which I thought was a little cocky, considering the situation we were in. I tried not to look nervous as I glanced at the three guards. All three had their eyes firmly riveted on Edward. Of course. Such guys. A movement crowded the edge of my vision and I turned my neck a couple degrees to the left. There was a shape, some object, on the ground behind Felix's legs that I hadn't noticed before. I wanted to get a closer look but at that moment, Edward took a step forward and my attention refocused on the growing tension in the room.

"No!" Edward suddenly snarled and drops of venom flew from his mouth to hit the marble flow where they shone brilliantly. Felix smiled grew wider.

"What Edward?" I said. "What does he want?"

"He wants me to leave you alone, in this room." My response was a deep, guttural growl, an instinct that rose at even the mention of being forcibly separated from my husband.

Edward leapt one heartbeat before I saw what he was going to do, going after Felix and the guards in an insane suicide attempt. But Felix stepped aside casually and Edward was on the other side of the room, with Felix between us. I continued to grow uneasy. What was he thinking? I lifted my lip just enough to show them all my teeth.

"Felix," Edward's voice was a thick syrup, crossing the room in a fluid motion that left me breathless as usual. "Don't you get sick of being Aro's guard dog? The way he treats you, doesn't let you out, keeps you so close. Any closer and you'll need a collar and leash." Felix whirled around too quickly to see my eyes widen at Edward's obvious taunt. If Felix was smart, he would recognize that and leave Edward alone. But I'll never call that brute smart and he lunged for Edward as I screamed.

But Edward was too quick, throwing himself off the walls and floors in a rhythmic dance. As Felix and the three guards followed after him, I struggled slightly to keep up with his movements enough to keep the shield intact. He was moving fast enough he could break through it if I wasn't careful. He seemed to have forgotten the fact it he just stood still, I could protect him just fine.

Marble crumbled under their movements and as each foot sank into the stone, a footstep was left behind, as easily as if they'd been walking through damp dirt. Edward still had the lead in the dance but Felix and his guards were trailing close behind. In the space of one second, I had the thought that if I was a human, my heart would be leaping out of my chest, but now, it was only steadily speeding along at it's normal rate, as if unaware of what was going on outside my body. But then one guard got his hand too close to Edward's ankle and the two crashed from the ceiling molding onto the ground. Edward twisted violently away, reminding me a TV nature show where they demonstrated how crocodiles used a 'death roll' to kill their prey. But now Felix and the other two guards were closing in.

"Enough!" I finally snapped, my voice made powerful by fear and anger. All four men looked up at that one word. "Stop it." My eyes were on Felix's face who looked genuinely surprised at being told what to do. He glanced at the guards and then at Edward before back at me again, at a loss at what to do.

"Better do as she says," Edward said, flashing over to me, an arm around my waist.

"Edward will leave the room," I said, ignoring his snarl of disagreement in my ear. "And this will all be over with and that's that. Okay?" Felix smirked, realizing he'd won while Edward hissed through his teeth.

"Just go," I muttered to him. "I want it over. I'm sick of fighting."

"The fighting's only begun," Felix intoned nastily. "One of us will stay here with her."

"Not you." He smirked but nodded at Edward's demand.

I don't know how it was decided but Felix and two of the guards left the room. Felix waited for Edward by the door.

"Be careful," Edward said. "I'll be right outside." He tried to smile but it came out more as a grimace.

"I'll be fine." He kissed me on the forehead and then rushed the door and after a flurry of brief activity, it shut with a heavy thud. I watched it for a minute, a faint scuffling sound in the hallway making me think Edward and Felix were having a hard time keeping their hands to themselves. But I pushed that thought out of my mind; I had something else to focus on, if I ever wanted to get out of here. That's when I realized I had absolutely no idea what I was doing here. The guard in black was standing to the left of the room, watching me but looking incredibly bored. His expression reminded me a little of Marcus.

"I don't suppose you know what I'm doing here, do you?" No answer. I hadn't really expected one but still…the mild disappointment bubbled in my stomach. Great. "You probably wouldn't tell me anyway even if you did know." More silence. Frustrated, I backed up a step and gazed at the room. It was empty. No benches, no torches, no windows. Weird.

Movement in my peripheral caused me to jump and back up, still keeping the guard in view. It was the figure on the ground that hadn't moved since we'd been brought into the room. Now though, he pulled himself to his feet. I watched, head cocked. He moved as though he was in great pain, one knee brought up painfully, a pause and then he heaved himself upwards with a tremendous force. Finally, he was standing, feet planted solidly on the ground.

His eyes were cast downward as if those were also too heavy to lift. Dirt brown hair hung in snarled dreads that framed hallowed cheeks. When the eyelids did lift, I did my best not to gasp. His eyes were neither red nor gold but a bright, burning orange; the color of a fiery sun. Deep lines traced up and down his face, cutting dark grooves into the marble skin, which had the slightest tint of brown in it that I'd ever seen on a vampire. Aro, Caius and Marcus looked as ancient as they were but this vampire just looked plain _old_.

"Bella." His accent was thick and twisted my name on the tongue but his English was clear.

"How do you know my name?" I wasn't frightened but I was certainly curious. The vampire looked as if he wanted to laugh but he didn't. There was an air about him that seemed different but I couldn't quite put a finger on it.

"Everyone knows your name around here. Word travels quickly. Even within the prisoners." Orange eyes swept up and down my body.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Adraen." The way he said it, the way it rolled off his tongue made the name sound beautiful. And powerful.

"Do you know why I am here?"

"No. But I daresay our friend Aro has something up his sleeve."

"He always does," I murmured, racking my brain for something, _anything_ about what was going on. But I came up empty-handed. Still staring at Adraen, almost absently know, my brain finally realized what's so off about him. He hadn't blinked once since we've been talking. Not only that, but since standing, he hadn't shifted his weight once, hadn't moved anything but his mouth. I didn't think he was even breathing. Vampires don't need to do any of that but it was widely practiced; it helped us blend into the human world. Adraen didn't even flinch under my scrutiny, like he was used to people gaping at him.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. But before he could answer, a large crash filled my ears and the door behind me flew open too quickly for my guard to anticipate it. Edward was at my side before my heart had stuttered out another beat.

"Let's go," he said. "We're done here." He didn't pay any attention to Adraen, didn't even seem to see him standing there. He was too upset. His dark eyes burned with anger and hatred and his teeth snapped together as we passed Felix, just inches from the other vampire's throat. Any vampire would understand that warning: "Stay away or I'll rip your sorry head off."

"This is ridiculous," Edward said as we walked through the hallways. I already knew we weren't going back to our prison; I could tell by the square and determined set of his shoulders. Indeed, we burst into the Throne Room only minutes later. They were sitting up there, on that dais, raised just enough to look down their noses at us. Aro didn't look the least bit surprised to see Edward and I come storming in the room. In fact, he looked rather pleased.

"So, you've met my friend, have you? How did you get along?"

"This has got to end, Aro," Edward said, not giving me a chance to answer the question. "What do you want from her?" Aro's red eyes traveled slowly from my face to Edward's and back again but his lips remain closed. Edward shook his head angrily.

"You can't keep me out forever. Eventually, you'll slip up." It was as much of a threat as one would dare dish out and everyone recognized it too. There was an audible gasp from behind me and Caius's eyes narrowed. Aro only smiled.

"I can certainly try. We didn't come this far to give up." He turned back to me.

"Now my dear, what did you and my Russian friend talk about?" Ah, so that was the accent. I heard Adraen saying my name again in my head.

"Nothing," I said, shaking my head. "It was a short meeting." I resisted the urge to glance at Edward. Besides if Aro wanted to see what happened, all he had to do was grab Edward's hands. Not that that seemed like a smart decision to me at the time.

"Nothing?" He made sure I didn't miss the disappointment in his voice.

"Nothing." His nostrils flared out, a sure sign of irritation but then the expression smoothed back into something more tranquil.

"Very well. As you seem most upset with your accommodations, I've arranged for you to be moved. Alida will show you the way." He nodded to one of the black-cloaked messengers but Edward shook his head and headed towards the door, me following behind.

"We'll find it without help, thank you." With that, we took our leave.


	10. Chapter 10

Our new living quarters were much more modern than the old apartment. No plush rugs or tapestries here. It was more like the house we'd left behind back in Forks, steel and cherry wood creating every piece of furniture. The weird thing was the walls. They were all made of clear glass so it was possible to track each other's movements throughout the whole house. It should have felt like an invasion of privacy but instead it was a comfort. I could watch Edward no matter where he went and vice versa. It was calming, never losing sight of him. He was after all, the one and only constant in my life. In the midst of everything changing, of losing everything I'd ever known and loved, he was still there, still the same gorgeous man I married less than two months ago. The one who'd seen me at my worst times and still loved me beyond reason. His very existence the reason I was still alive.

"Edward," I called. He was out in the kitchen and I was sitting on the bed, thinking the day through piece by piece, looking for a clue to something. He peered at me through the glass.

"What is it, love?"

"The word domare. What does it mean?" I could tell it wasn't the question he thought I would ask by the way his shoulders seemed to relax every so slightly. "The vampire – Lily – she called you it twice. Is it…bad?" I was thinking along the terms of a vampire curse word or something. Edward seemed to pick up on that.

"No, it's not bad. It's Latin for tame, or the tamed one."

"I've never heard it before," I said, frowning. I'd heard Edward's family called a few things, vegetarians being the main one but _domare_ was foreign to me.

"You wouldn't have. It was big in the 1920's and 30's. It died out after a couple decades but as you have seen, a few still use it." He shrugs.

"I like it," I said on impulse. "It fits." He turns his back and I watch him through the clear wall. The refrigerator door swings open and I hear him give out the smallest of sighs. I leap up and in a moment I'm peering over his shoulder at the fridge. It's actually not empty.

"What's that god-awful smell?" I said, slamming the refrigerator close. Edward's staring at me like I have three heads. I resist the urge to back away from fridge because the smell is still rank in my nose. It smelled like a mixture of sulfur and burnt hair.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes," I said, swallowing back the rising nausea.

"Bella, that was human blood." My mind reeled along with my stomach.

"What?"

"The Volturi stocked our fridge with human blood. As a gesture." I wrinkled my nose.

"Well if that's human blood then no wonder you guys are vegetarians. I thought you always said it smelled _good_."

"It does," he insisted then frowned. "It does to me." I flipped my hair over my shoulder and finally walked out of the kitchen. I moved back over to the bed, wanting to distance myself as much as possible from the blood.

"Well, if you're going to drink that, do it over there. No offense or anything but you're going to reek after." Edward still had that incredulous look on his face as he came over to me. He sat down beside me, half pulling me into his lap as I half climbed into it.

"I'm not going to drink it."

"You're thirsty," I said, pressing my lips where his neck meets his shoulder.

"But you must be starving," he said, turning around, cupping my face in his hands.

"I'm not," I said, kissing him softly on the lips. My eyelashes brushed his cheek and I looked up to black eyes. "But you are."

"I've been worse," he said. "I'm more concerned about getting you food."

"Edward," I said. "I'm not that hungry." I wasn't trying to be tough or anything, I truly wasn't that hungry. The thought of animal blood led to the same feeling as the thought about a big bowl of pasta. Tasty but not necessary. Not yet. If anything, the smell of the human blood had driven away any hunger needs.

"Love, you are proving to get weirder every day." I frowned and pulled away.

"Don't say that," I said.

"I didn't mean it in a bad way," he said knowingly. "Weird was the wrong word. I should have used unique."

"I don't want to be unique," I huffed loudly and my breath pushed his bangs back a little. "I want to be normal." Edward laughed and the sound filled the room, bouncing off the glass walls, almost echoing.

"I'm sorry but I think you can give upon that one. You have never been normal, Bella." I sighed.

"I know. But dream big, right?" He laughed again and stood.

"Come on. I don't care if you say you're not hungry, we're going to go find some suitable food. We'll both be happier and able to think more clearly after we get some nutrition into us." Even though I truly wasn't hungry, I didn't push it. After all, I was willing go along with whatever made Edward happy. Everything else just wasn't that important.

The palace was huge – too big to get any sense of where or when it ended, if it did at all. The kitchens were hidden towards the back, just north of the tunnels that had led us to the rest of the family. They might have been hidden but they were huge. The minute we stepped into the cavernous room, the air turned frigid against my skin. It was weird not to have goose bumps follow after. The room was cleared out in the middle, several industrial sized refrigerators lined the wall. Edward opened the huge door to the first one while I waited at the doorway, unsure what we would find. He moved inside and I peered cautiously in after him. Relieved to find no human corpses swinging from the ceiling, I took once step inside then froze over the threshold. This place reeked even worst than the inside of our fridge.

"Ugh," I said. "There's no animal blood in here if that's what you're looking for." Sure enough, Edward was following his nose over the different shelves that held hundreds of bags of blood. He glanced over at me.

"Are you sure?" I grimaced but took a deeper sniff anyway, just making sure. The smell burned my nose like bleach and I stumbled backward a step, eager to get away from it.

"I'm sure." I walked around the kitchen, Edward on my heels. I could tell he was staring curiously at me but didn't turn around. The next three fridges were human blood, one was completely and the next was full of human food. I passed by it as easily as the others but Edward snagged up some fruit and prepackaged meals, no doubt for me to eat later if I wanted. I was more concerned with finding him blood. We stopped in front of the last fridge and I pulled it open.

"This is it," I said with relief. The smell that poured out was tangy and bittersweet but so much better than the foul odor of the other blood. I sniffed once. "Elk and grizzly?" I looked over at him for justification.

"Black bear," he said. "From the northern woods." He grabbed several bags, looked back at me, hesitated, and then grabbed a few more.

We ate back in the room. I sipped a bag of blood while Edward downed several in record time.

"So," he said when he was done and the bags were disposed of (he'd also thrown out the human blood so I wouldn't have to smell it every time we opened the refrigerator). "Who is Adraen?" I looked up, startled. So he _had_ noticed the other vampire. I mentally chastised myself. Of course he noticed. Edward noticed everything.

"I don't know," I said truthfully, as he pulled me into his lap. We were sitting on the bed, leaning up against the headboard. "We didn't really talk much."

"Anything Bella. Anything he said to you." I frowned slightly at the memory, one thing pulling at my mind.

"Well, he knew my name." Edward seemed to dismiss this as readily as Adraen had when I questioned him on it.

"Anything else."

"We talked about Aro having something up his sleeve although neither one of us knows what it is." Edward immediately picked up the hesitation that floated off the end of sentence.

"What is it Bella?" he asked patiently, holding me gently in his arms.

"Well, it's nothing we said, but, I just have a feeling that Adraen is a different kind of vampire." I looked into Edward's eyes, relieved to see the familiar hue of melted gold staring back at me. "First off, his eyes are orange which I don't understand and the other thing is…" I hesitated again but only for a second before rushing on, "He doesn't act like the cares about humans at all. He didn't move the whole time we were together, except to get off the floor and when he did that – ," I thought of the way he had grimaced as he pulled himself off the floor.

"Well, I guess what I'm trying to say is that he seemed _old_, Edward." I shook my head. "Old in a way I've never seen before. Not like Aro or Caius but as in a different species." Both of Edward's eyebrows were raised and he looked deep in thought as he stared over my head at the wall on the opposite side of the room. We were both silent for a while and then Edward hugged me tighter to him.

"We'll figure this out Bella. I promise. You'll see Forks again."


	11. Chapter 11

For the first several days at the palace, Edward stayed glued to my side, never letting me leave his sight. We didn't return to the family's house, not after Edward's not so subtle threat to Aro. I was sure we were being watched closely, so closely that I didn't even talk to Edward more about Adraen.

But twenty-four undisturbed hours a day makes for a lot of thinking time and after five days cooped up in the small apartment, I knew what needed to be done. I had to see Adraen again. It seemed as if he were the key to this all, getting out of here. The difficult part was going to be getting Edward to agree to my plan. He was quite determined to keep me out of reach of any other vampire in the palace; I hadn't talked to anyone besides my spouse in days. Besides, if Edward knew what I wanted, he would surely say no and that would be the end of it. But if I kept it a secret…

"Edward," I said in a low voice after almost a week of being in Italy. "Why don't you go talk to Carlisle. See your brothers. Esme is probably worried sick." He'd been pacing the apartment – a human habit we'd both taken up – but at my words, he paused. Then he shook his head.

"No, we can't risk it. They're watching us." But I'd already thought of this.

"They're mainly watching me. You could go by yourself." I had a strong suspicion that Aro cared very little about what Edward did if I was not with him. Yes, he still wanted to add my husband to his brood of talent but something else was keeping the Royal's mind occupied. Whether it was me or not was still to be determined.

Edward reached for my hand and I joined him in the middle of the room.

"I'm not leaving you," he said and even though I heard the finality in his tone, I pushed back with my own.

"Edward, I'm not a child. And I'm not a human anymore either. You don't have to protect me like this. I can probably protect myself better than you can," I said. I knew I'd gone too far when his eyes widened and his nostrils flared.

"I didn't mean it like that," I said quickly. "I'm just reminding you I have my shield." For the first time in my existence I wished I could send him a thought, just so he would know it was okay to leave. Being in this room, holed up like dog on chain, was choking him, driving him insane. I could see it. And I'm sure Aro would be able to also.

Edward let out a loud breath that moved a wisp of hair from in front of my eyes. Another human habit. Which just made me think of Adraen again and how he seemed to possess absolutely none of these.

"I can't," he whispered, our foreheads touching. "It goes against the very grains of my nature to leave you here."

"You need to get out," I said running one finger along his jawline, holding back my lips from performing the same action. "If only for an hour or two. I'll be fine. Go." I gave him a little push, not a real one, just enough force so he knew how much I meant it.

"One hour," he said finally, staring into my eyes. I stared back, trying to keep my nervousness and anxiousness from rising to the surface of my expression. I wasn't scared to be left alone – that part I wasn't lying about – but the thought of being separated from Edward always brought about a great wave of terror. Ever since I'd spent all those months without him, thinking I'd never see him again. But I pushed them away, rationalizing in my mind. He wasn't leaving. He was stepping out for an hour, for God's sake. If I couldn't handle that, I might as well hand myself over to Aro on a silver platter. That or make an audition tape for Real Housewives of Washington State: Vampire Edition.

"Hurry back," I half teased, my mind only momentarily flitting to the last time I'd spoken that sentence. It had been when we'd said goodbye as he went on a hunting trip. The one where during his absence, Leah Clearwater had attacked me and completely changed the course of my life forever. It seemed ages ago but in reality it was only a couple months.

"You know I will." He left one lingering kiss on my lips and then was gone. My feet stayed glued to the exact spot where he left me for a whole sixteen seconds before flying into motion.

I didn't know where I was going exactly but my memory pushed a scent at me, one of old parchment paper and the sweet smell of overripe fruit and I wander down the hallways, hoping to catch either a glimpse or scent of the old vampire. Turns out, I didn't have to go far. While many doors in the hallway remained shut, even more remained open and I glanced into each one as I passed. Ten minutes later of playing peeping tom and I found him. His back was to me as he stood on the far side of the room, gazing, as far as I could tell, at the wall in front of him.

I knocked softly and pushed the door open enough to slip through. Even when I was inside and the door was closed, he didn't turn around.

"You should not be here," came the deep voice, thick with accent. Russian, I reminded myself.

"Why not?"

"You should not be here," he repeated again and turned to face me. His face was still the mystery my mind had come to think of it as. Bright, glowing orange eyes set in a face that seemed too weary for such a creature.

"I need to get home. And you seem to be the key to it all." Nothing changed in his expression at my words. It was eerie, as if his face really was made out of stone.

"I, too, would like to go home. It would seem, though, as if that is not in the cards for us."

"What do you mean?"

"I am very old, my dear, older than you could imagine and I have seen many things. My age does not make me stupid or vulnerable, not in the way Aro thinks at least. I have a few ideas of why we have been brought together." Well that's nice to hear since I have none.

"What are they?" The orange eyes narrowed the slightest bit and I had the sudden feeling that Adraen could see right through me. It made me wonder whether he can read thoughts as Edward can for the look he gives me is one that Edward has also shared on numerous occasions.

"Do you know who I am, child?" he said finally.

"Uh," I hesitated, not sure what he meant. "I know you're from Russia."

"Ah yes, but you do not know that I am a different breed of vampire, the first race of the species." No, I didn't know that. I didn't even know there were different kinds of vampires. I thought we were all one in the same. I stayed silent though, because Adraen was still talking and he didn't seem like the type to interrupt. "I am far older than even the dirt," he said and for the first time there was a certain heaviness in his voice that I have always associated with not only tiredness but pain and sadness as well. "My people live in Siberia."

"Your people?" As far I knew, vampires didn't live in clans much bigger than ones like the Cullens.

"Yes, we are _Simul_." At my confused expression he hesitated. "I believe you would call it a…tribe?" I nodded my affirmation. "There are many families there; we spill into the hundreds." I couldn't help it; my eyebrows shot way up at this news. Adraen looked on gravely. "The Volturi have left us alone for centuries. We want nothing to do with your kind and we do not live by your laws." I wondered what laws he could be talking about. "But when Aro summoned for me a fortnight ago, I came on good grace."

"What does he want? Why are you still here?" The orange eyes seemed to dim a bit but that could be only my imagination playing tricks on my confused mind.

"Aro betrayed my trust and thinks he is keeping me here as a prisoner."

"Thinks?" For the first time, the ghost of a grin stretched across Adraen's face.

"Our friend does not know that I could be gone for many hours before he even knew it. I am here on the pretense that he is keeping my captive but it is my own judgment that causes me to linger. Judgment and curiosity.

"You want to wait and see what he wants?" Adraen nodded.

"Precisely."

"Why? If you're not worried about him, why stick around?"

"For two reasons, child. One is that you have caught my attention like nothing else in hundreds of years."

"Me?" He actually chuckled at my shocked tone.

"You do not know how rare and unique you are. I would love to hear your story, if you would tell it to me." I nodded absentmindedly because my mind was busy running through the events of the past year and a half. But his next words jolted my thoughts firmly back to present.

"My people and I are also planning to overtake the Volturi."


	12. Chapter 12

My eyebrows went up. Way up.

"That's a dangerous statement," I commented but yet unable to keep a slight tone of admiration from my words. Perhaps Edward and Adraen would get along after all.

"Do not fear, child, we know what we are doing." I nodded, unsure of how to continue this odd conversation. "These royals have had it coming a long time. Granted, their minds weren't always so filled with malicious thoughts but recently greed and power have been a consuming factor." He smiled at my confused expression. "And by recent, I mean in the last few centuries." If Adraen called the last few centuries "recent" than maybe he really was older than dirt. Recent for me was an hour ago when I told Edward to go visit his family.

Oh shit.

"I have to go," I said hastily. Again, nothing moved in those orange eyes. And again, a small wave of disconcertment rolled through my stomach at the unnaturalness of it all. One foot was out the door when I heard,

"Come visit soon, my dear child. I have enjoyed our chat." I nodded to the door in front of me. "But next time, bring your mate. He has nothing to fear from me; he needs to know that." Yeah, well, Edward really wasn't the type to think first, act later. I open my mouth to tell Adraen that but he just nods his head. "I know how it is; he's protective. And for good reason. You're stunning. I wouldn't want to lose you either." Uncomfortable and yet flattered at the same time at the compliment, I only murmured a quiet thank you before exiting.

My head was still spinning when Edward gets back from his visit and I knew he could tell something was up. To his benefit though, he kept his mouth shut and just placed a kiss on my forehead on his way to the fridge for more blood. It seemed the visit to his family had sparked his appetite. Maybe now we were finally getting somewhere.

"How are they?" I asked after he had drank his fill.

"Good. Worried. Anxious."

"In other words: Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie." He grinned.

"I'd say Rose is a little bit more than anxious."

"Ah," I said. "Of course. Any idea when Aro will let them go?" It was a stupid question and asking it makes me feel like a complete moron but if I didn't talk I'd start thinking again. And if I started thinking, it would only be about Adraen and Edward would start asking questions. Now, Edward came to sit by me.

"Bella, it's going to be a while. You might as well get comfortable here." I gave a knowing look at his barely-there grimace. "We all have to try," he continued. "I'm going to try and get us out of this, please know that, but you also have to understand how difficult of a spot we're in. I just don't know what's going on." He said the last part more to himself than me. Right then and there, I made the executive decision to tell him about Adraen. Maybe it wasn't the right time or place but was there ever a time or place for what I had to say? I was, in fact, bringing the news that the world as he knew it was going to be overturned by vampires he'd probably never heard of. Oh geez, I had to get this out of my system before I went back on my mental promise to tell him. It was starting to sound more far-fetched by the minute.

"EdwardIhavetotellyousomething." All the syllables blended together in a singsong trainwreck. Edward stopped stroking my hair and looked in me in the eyes, his golden pools emanating worry and fear.

"What's wrong, Bella?" he asked. When I didn't answer – because I just _couldn't_ – the concern deepened. "Bella, honey, tell me what's wrong. It's okay; everything will be alright." I took another deep breath.

"I have to tell you something." This time, the words came out at normal speed and yet still sounded very much butchered by my nervous tone.

"Okay. It's okay Bella, you can tell me anything. You know that." His fingers found the curve of my chin and lifted it upwards.

"I asked you to go visit your family so I could sneak out and talk to the Russian vampire." Edward blinked. Once. Then twice. Then three times. An excruciating silence filled the room that made my want to tear at my granite skin with diamond fingernails. He still didn't say a word.

"I'm so sorry. But I had to; you never would have let me go on my own. I'm so sorry Edward." Tears glazed my vision and both Edward and I reached for them at the same time. Him, because he was trying to soothe my sobs and me because I was horrified I was actually crying. Vampires didn't cry. They couldn't; it was physically impossible. And yet, gazing down at the wetness on my fingers, I knew I wasn't imagining it. It was just another sign I was not a complete vampire. The realization came with a stunning force that slammed into my chest as heavily as a freight train. It should have made me cry harder but it hadd the opposite effect. Instead, the tears stopped flowing and my breathing became regular again in about three seconds flat.

"Bella, I'm not angry." I'd almost forgotten he was sitting there. Almost.

"You're not?" Even though my voice should have been watery and raw, it was still as high-pitched and firm as always. Edward shook his head.

"No, of course not. I'm a little upset you felt you had to hide this from me, but I am not here to keep you prisoner." I mulled his words over in my mind. They were a complete shock. Before, I had thought he was going to flip out when I told him. Then again, very rarely had I seen Edward flip out about something, at least in front of me. Maybe I had misjudged my husband.

"But," he added meaningfully, gazing at me with a seriousness that made him undeniably sexy. "I don't want you going anywhere by yourself. It _is _dangerous, even if you don't see it." I nodded.

"No, I get that," I said, thinking of the long, crawling corridors of the palace and how many times it felt as though I were being watched as I traveled through them, with Edward or not.

"Good." His lips found mine and when one of his hands entangled itself in my hair, the other dangerously low on my waist, we spilled backwards onto the bed, feeling it give a heavy groan as the frame shuddered beneath our weight.

"Wait," I said a minute later, hovering over Edward as he gazed upward with a sort of rapt, crazed expression on his face. Passion, I realized what it was a moment later.

"What's wrong, love?"

"If I asked, would you really have let me go visit Adraen?" He studied me for a second, his gaze traveling over my chest, lips, eyes.

"Not a chance," he whispered and then pulled me back down to him.

"He wants to meet you," I murmured into his ear. "He told me to bring you back." I watched carefully, gauging his reaction. But he just seemed slightly upset that all the kissing had ceased.

"Bella, I told you. If that's what you want to do, I'll go with you. If it's that important."

"Oh, it's important," I said absently, thinking back to Adraen's plan. Edward seemed to sense my change in emotion and stopped trailing kissing up my neck.

"What is so important that we can't wait to talk about it until _after?_" I think if I was still human, I would have blushed, but being my weird hybrid self, I only removed my gaze from his.

"Adraen is from a tribe of vampires. He's here to overthrow the Volturi's power."

Edward instantly pushed himself up and away from, shaking his head as if trying to clear out what he'd just heard.

"Bella, that can't be right."

"No, it is," I said firmly. "Trust me. He says the Volturi have gotten too greedy and powerful."

"There aren't _tribes_ of vampires."

"_That_ is what you got out of what I just told you?" I asked in disbelief. He had to be kidding me. But he wasn't, I realized a second later, as I watched him leap up and start pacing our usual path around the room. He really couldn't get past that part. I shook my head.

"Adraen didn't use the word tribe. He used some other word – in Latin I think. _Simul_." Edward jumped about a foot in the air as if I had just used Charlie's electric shock taser on him.

"No," he said. "The _Simul _are just a legend, a vampire ghost story if you will."

"Edward," I said softly. "I don't think it's a story. Adraen's telling the truth. I know he is." Edward finally looked in me in the eyes again but his expression wasn't something I recognized and for once, he actually looked like the mythical creature he was. His face was hard and smooth and his eyes glowed brightly. Parted lips revealed fangs. I stared in awe.

"Bella," he said slowly. "If this is real, if it's true….then some things are going to change." He stopped pacing and shook his head.

"No. I'm wrong. Some things aren't going to change. _Everything_ is going to change."


	13. Chapter 13

Later that night, Edward told me the story of _Simul_, the legend Carlisle had told him but one that neither one of them had ever dared to construe as real.

"They're a myth, an old fairy-tale, much the same that _Cinderella _or _The Little Mermaid _were to you as a small child. The story goes that there were a race of vampires born centuries before the first one of us was created. And I say born and not created because they were never made by another. Instead they were born of the dirt and wind." I opened my mouth to contradict this or at least ask a question but Edward just shrugged and shook his head at my obvious expression. "Like I said, it is – was – a myth. So logical explanations were never dealt with or thought about. And if so at all, rarely. The story says that every once in a while, Mother Nature would make another one of this vampires, raise them out of the water or dirt. They range in all ages from young adult to quite old and just like us, they never age."

"They don't sound that different from us," I commented.

"They aren't in many ways. But in the stories, they are virtually indestructible." I raise my eyebrows at that. Edward smiles wryly. "Yes, I mean indestructible. Supposedly, not even our fangs can get through their skin." I began to see the problem here. If Aro found out that such a race of vampires existed…he would certainly try and make every effort to extinguish them.

"There's a catch," I sensed. Edward nodded.

"There is. These vampires are peaceful. They do not wish to take part in any violence whatsoever. That is why they have been hunted so fiercely for so many years, like treasure on a pirate's map." He smiles at the crude analogy. "The myth says that they went into hiding after their kind enduring a great slaughtering." I thought of Adraen and the trapped sadness in his gaze.

"And now they have come out again."

"So it would seem."

"Wow," I said. It was a lot to take in. If the myth was the truth – and I'm pretty sure it was – then Adraen and his people were in big trouble. Aro and his brothers would stop at nothing to wipe out all of the _Simul._ Something in Edward's story didn't quite fit though; there was a piece of information that didn't match up with the rest of what he had said.

"If they were indestructible, then how did they all get killed?" I questioned. Edward shook his head.

"I don't know. The stories never told. Even in all the different versions, the source was never revealed." He looks at me closely. "That's why it's a myth, Bella. In real life, there are not so many mysteries and the answers to your questions can almost always be sought out." I didn't say so out loud but I had to disagree with that. My whole life was a mystery and I had enough unanswered questions to last me a couple lifetimes, even vampire ones. Edward seemed to sense my disagreement because his next words were soft.

"I'm not saying that Adraen is not who he says he is, part of the _Simul_. I just want to make sure we keep our heads rooted in reality and not get carried away by wild fantasies. We need to figure out a way to get out of this place. Whether that includes Adraen and the _Simul_ is still in question but I just don't see them and us can be tied together so intimately."

"Yeah," I said faintly. "I guess not." But I didn't really believe what I was saying. I somehow knew deep down that Adraen and I had something to do with each other. Maybe it was because we were both a different race living inside a species. We both understood how it felt to be the outcast. I couldn't imagine having to keep the Cullens away from civilization though, knowing that one wrong move could have my whole family slaughtered. Then again, I thought rather sarcastically, that's exactly what was going on.

I almost wanted to laugh out loud at the irony of it all. And sure, that's how I saw Adraen and I connected but I doubted that was what was on Aro's mind when he saw the two of us together. No, I mused, it was something else, something deeper that I was missing. That we all were missing. But just how long would it take for Aro to relieve his plans? How long would it take before he slipped up enough to let Edward into his mind? How long until we were safe again? A month? A year? A hundred years?

Forever?

I thought again about what Edward had said about questions and answers pertaining to real life. This was one thing I truly believed he was wrong about. Every time I answered one question, five more blossomed out of it. And if questions were never answered only in fairy-tales, then perhaps I was living in one.

These thoughts made my head spin but I didn't have long to ponder over it as both Edward and I jumped up at the sound of approaching feet. They were moving quickly, running – no, gliding – over the ground at a frantic pace. Out of another human habit, I held my breath, half-hoping they would just fly right on by our apartment door. Of course, my luck didn't hold out and Edward and I were both crouched when the door flew open. I straightened up immediately upon seeing who it was; Edward remained bent, a low guttural growl growing in his throat.

Adraen stood in the doorway looking every bit as regal and massive as he always did. There were of course no signs he had ever been running here; he looked as if he was just out for a leisurely stroll in the park and decided to pop in.

"Adraen!" I said in surprise. "We -." He cut me off mid sentence, talking right over my next words.

"Your werewolf friend is in the Throne Room. I suggest you proceed there immediately if you intend to attempt to spare his life."

For one shuddering heartbeat, I stood frozen in the room, Edward finally straightening at my side. Time seemed to move so slowly, I could hear each vertebrae in his spine snap into place as his back straightened. My eyes hung suspended on Adraen's face, the heavy, hooded eyes surrounded by wrinkles that set his features deep into his face.

Then I was moving, practically shoving Adraen out of my way as I raced to the Throne Room. I employed every vampire and werewolf muscle I had into stretching out until my legs seemed to detach from my body and the strides I was talking were twice as large as normal ones. My heart pumped on but it felt as if my blood had turned viscous and was moving sluggishly through my veins, weighing me down at the time I most needed to fly.

All this time – it couldn't have been more than minute – and tiny thoughts kept bursting into my mind like unwanted blisters.

_Jake. Here. Spare his life. Dead. _

The images that went hand in hand with these words were appalling and each one more gruesome than the last. Jake, begging for his life, in front of the Volturi. Jake, cocky grin still on his lips as he didn't see Felix come for him from behind. Jake, my Jake, ripped to pieces and scattered likes ashes across the marble floor, his blood staining the stone like a sacrifice. I didn't have time to ask questions or wonder, I just put all my energy into plowing through the heavy stone doors of the Throne Room, my shield bubbling up around me like boiling water, ready to spill over at any moment. My only thought – and it was more instinct than thought – was to cover Edward with my shield as he was only twenty feet behind me. But beyond that, my mind was a blank slate.

That is, until I actually entered the room and saw the unmistakable muscled back and black hair of my best friend.

Jake is here.

What. The. Hell?

And standing right next to my werewolf friend was Aro, his red eyes gazing hungrily as his fingers stretched out to touch Jake's.

"No!" I screamed, the air rushing from of my lungs as if forced out by a wildfire. Aro's split second hesitation is all I needed; my shield was already growing, stretching to include Jake and within a blink of the eye he too was encased in my protection, fingertips only inches from Aro's.

"Bella," Aro said warmly and yet his eyes are red ice, dripping with hatred and disgust. Loathing.

"Jake," I said, arriving at his side. He won't look at me for some reason, keeping his face turned away, perhaps gazing at something I can't see but I don't think that's the case. Edward stops at my side a second later, wrapping one hand protectively around my face.

"Jacob," he said. "Why are you here?" When Jacob did turn his face, he looked straight over my head and into my husband's eyes. Because they were both under my shield, I knew Edward could read Jake's thoughts. I could too, if he would only look at me. Since that was not the case, all I could do was simply wait for the three terrifying heartbeats before someone spoke.

"You've brought a friend," Aro said to Edward and me. He had stopped in his tracks and seemed to realize that he would not be able to come at us as easily now that my shield was up. At least, that's what I hoped.

"We brought no one," Edward said. "Nor have we sent out word to anyone. How could we? You've been watching our every move." Aro gave Edward a long, sweeping glance, seemingly displeased he had read his thoughts so fast. "Jacob came of his own accord. We had nothing to do with it." I knew I had to keep my mouth shut, for everyone's sake. But it was so hard, just standing there waiting and watching. It was even harder when Aro turned his calculating gaze from Edward onto me. I stiffened automatically, tasting the venom in my mouth and hoped that at least a little hatred came through in my eyes.

"Perhaps you know why he is here, my dear?" Aro whispered to me. "Perhaps you are keeping secrets from your mate."

"They didn't know."

Jake's voice is strong and firm, the very opposite of what I was feeling. Aro's head snapped around. I could tell his patience was thinning.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me." I closed my eyes in pain. If only Jake would stay quiet, he had a better chance of surviving. My heart shuddered at the realization he didn't really have any chance at all.

"Kill him." Caius's harsh tone rang throughout the room. I watched in horror as Marcus nodded in agreement.

"It is not wise brother," he said to Aro in his slow drawl. "To keep his heartbeat lingering for any longer." Aro turned back around to face the three of us and I flexed my shield instantly but it felt as strong as ever. His gaze flickered rapidly between Jake and I. I heard Edward suck in a quiet breath by my ear as he read Aro's thoughts.

"Very well," Aro said finally.

"Kill the wolf."


	14. Chapter 14

Everyone moved at once. Aro dashed back to his seat up on the dais, one hand resting beneath his chin as he readied himself to watch the scene below unfold. Felix moved in from my right, nothing more than a streak of light out of the corner of my eye. Edward immediately put himself in front of me, which also positioned him between Jake and I. As for Jake, he phased in a split second and in another split second, there was a growling, salivating wolf standing not three feet away from me.

No matter how many times I'd seen him do it, it was always a shock to me to have human Jake replaced by wolf Jake in the time it usually took me to inhale.

"Bella, get out of here," Edward said under his breath. We both watched as Felix's approach was slowed by my shield.

"No," I said adamantly. "I'm the only thing keeping him alive." Edward turned to the snarling Jake. He only had to bend an inch or two to reach Jake's ear. It flicked sideways momentarily and I listened to the smooth rush of words.

"If she gets hurt in all this, I swear to God, you'll never see daylight again Wolf." Jacob rolled his eye upwards to look at Edward, his manic expression clearing out for a short moment into something more along the lines of incredulous. He gave a strange huff through his lips, his breath ruffling Edward's hair.

"Edward, let's go," I urged.

"Yes, Bella, you should go," Edward said pointedly.

"Edward, are you crazy? You'll both die if I don't."

During this whole conversation, an uproar was going on outside my shield. Caius had stood from his chair and was yelling at several guards to attack. Aro was likewise instructing them, only more calmly and still sitting down.

"Kill the wolf but leave Bella unharmed." His gaze switched to Edward who was staring venomously up at the dais. "Along with her mate," he instructed, his eyes never leaving Edwards. It was almost as if Aro was taunting my husband with something but what it was I did not know. I didn't see Marcus anywhere; his chair was empty.

This all happened in about ten seconds and in no time, I had ten or so vampire guards coming at my shield from ten different directions. I gritted my teeth and flexed it out, pushing them away and off of me as if doing so physically. But another minute went by and I felt my shield shudder under the weight. It stabilized a second later but I had no idea how long it would hold out. Nothing in my brief training had prepared me for this.

"We have to fight back," Edward said in a hiss, taking his eyes off Aro to turn in a tight circle, taking in the small army that surrounded us. Jake gave a deep growl that sounded of agreement.

"No!" I cried. "If you start moving around too much, my shield won't be able to follow you fast enough." I could see it happening. They would move outwards and my shield would shake and then snap back in on me, keeping only myself protected. The guards would rush in on Jake and I would be subjected to hearing his howls of pain as he went down. Even worse, I would hear the silence that came after.

"Jake," I pleaded. "You'll die if you fight."

"Bella, he's going to die anyway," Edward said harshly. I looked at him with dull eyes. He was only repeating what he saw in Aro's mind. I didn't have to be a mind reader to know that. But I did have to admit that he was right, in the gut wrenching, heart searing kind of way. Jake had no hope of living. His only choice was to run and even if he ran, they would track him. They would follow him back to Forks and take out every single wolf on the reservation. Maybe even all of Forks.

Charlie's face twisted in my mind.

No, I wouldn't let that happen. There had to be some way out. There_ had_ to be.

I studied Aro's face who was in turn staring at Jake's hulking form turn circles and snap at the air around him. What did he _want?_

There was a way to get inside his head, a voice in the back of my mind said. I shifted uncomfortably at the thought. I didn't want to put Aro under my shield anymore than I wanted withdraw from around Edward and Jacob but right now it was our only option. We were in a stalemate, a deadlock, until one side made a move. A move or a mistake, the same voice wheedled in my head. Just one slip-up on my part and Jake was dead meat.

Literally.

I sent my shield crawling out in front of me, stopping every few feet to test it's boundaries but it remained strong. In fact, it seemed a little happy to have something to do. It lapped at Aro's feet like ocean water, waiting for my permission to submerge him. I nodded slightly and urged it onward with my mind. I held my breath, waiting to see if he would notice but he was still staring at Jake with a sort of sick fascination. Just one look, that's all it would be over. One look and I would know exactly what he wanted. At least, that's what I hoped would happen. Hopefully, he wouldn't be trying to shield his thoughts from me like he was doing to Edward. He shouldn't suspect a thing. Praying on a Volturi's stupidity didn't seem like a smart move but it was all I had left. I had to hope that my shield would hold itself up while I read Aro's thoughts, something I hadn't been able to do in the past. Or else…I didn't want to go past or else.

"Aro!" I called. Everything seemed to move in slow motion even though no one stopped what they were doing except for Aro. His head seemed to turn by degrees and ever so slowly and the time it took for his gaze to slip from Jake to me was nothing short of eternity.

This time, I was prepared for what would happen and I could almost feel my gift latch onto Aro's mind. The torrent of thoughts was still overwhelming but I did my best to ignore that part and get on with it. I only had four or five seconds at most. I flipped through his thoughts like I was going through a catalogue, turning the pages until I saw something that might catch my interest. If I hadn't been so terrified and in such a rush, I would have paused at some of Aro's thoughts. Some were nasty and full of hatred, others filled with plans of his devious nature and cunning mind. But all of them were the wrong ones.

I could feel him trying to push me out but I fought back, my gift attached into his mind like a hook in a fish. I was dimly aware of the sharp jabs to my shield elsewhere and Edward yelling my name.

But I kept looking.

The farther back I dug, the more pressure built up inside my head. Just when I thought it would explode, I found what I was looking for. The thought was hazy and black in some areas, like an old photograph, as if Aro was trying very desperately to keep the details hidden. Or almost as if he didn't know them yet himself.

I scanned the ideas and thoughts, committing them to memory, not thinking or realizing what it was. The time for analyzing would be later.

With a mighty shove, Aro finally pushed me out of his mind. I stumbled backwards on the stone floor, almost falling to my knees but managing to stay upright at the last second. My head throbbing, I scrambled to make sure my shield was intact. It was. But it wouldn't be for long, that I knew. More guards had come into the room to join the forces trying to get to Jake. Of the three Ancients, only Aro was still in the room and he looked extraordinarily angry.

Like, livid.

"I have a proposition for you." I spoke loudly in hopes of getting his attention back on me. I didn't need his anger to be misdirected towards anyone else. It worked.

"I don't do propositions," Aro spat. I had truly never seen him look this out of sorts. My head still hurt. For the first time since becoming a vampire, I was _tired. _

_ "_Just hear me out."

"Bella," Edward said as he walked the two steps to my side. "Do not gamble with the devil. Stop right now."

"Edward, it's the only way. I can't lose either one of you."

"He made the choice to come here," Edward insisted. "Let him pay for his mistakes."

"You know I can't do that," I whispered softly. "No one should ever have to pay for their mistakes in death." Edward closed his eyes as my lips pressed against his for a brief instant. Then I turned around to face Aro.

"I will do whatever you want," I said, letting just the slightest bit of weariness seep into my voice. "I will play you game, be your pawn, but you have to let Jake go."

"Bella, no!" Edward reached for me but I pulled away.

"Edward, shutup." My gaze never left Aro's face. I thought I saw a glimmer of amusement beneath his anger. "It's what you want, right?" He surveyed me closely.

"Just let the werewolf go," he said, drawing out his words. "And you're mine?" I held back a shudder.

"Yes. But you also have to stop watching all the Cullens so closely. They don't have anything to do with it, I've seen that," I reminded him. "And will you please tell them to stop attacking me?" I added, with a glance at the multiple guards still going strong around us. With a simple nod from Aro, they paused. Another nod had them backing up against the wall although their eyes never left the wolf in the middle of the room.

"I won't run," I promised. "I'll stay right here. You can stop watching us."

"All this to save such a petty life?"

"You and I have different ideas of petty, Aro," I said tonelessly. This needed to be over. I was done. As in all the way done. I just wanted to lay down, with Edward at my side, preferably without any clothes but you know, I wasn't particularly picky at this point.

"I am no seer, like your dear sister, but even you must know that this will not end well for you, my Bella." He hissed out my name. I could feel Edward move behind me at his words.

"Do we have a deal, Aro?" I didn't really want to think about the consequences of my decision. At least Jake would not be killed. That's all that mattered.

"Okay," Aro said. My heart stuttered. Was he serious?

"You all will remain here – yes, even your wolf friend – but as for _watching you_, let's say I now have other things to take care of. Preparations." I felt bile rise in my throat but nodded tersely.

The red eyes seemed to shine with something akin to glee as he looked at Edward.

"As for you my friend," Aro said, voice slippery. "Now that your wife has seen it, no doubt you'd like to too. No point of you being left out of all the fun." I knew in that instant what he was going to do. I knew and yet could not move fast enough. I watched my husband's eyes narrow at Aro's words and then widen as the veil was lifted from Aro's thoughts.

And that's when Edward lunged.


	15. Chapter 15

When Edward moved, he broke through my shield and my knees hit the marble floor. My head went into my hands. God, I needed to get out of there. Something wet pressed against my shoulder and I jumped. It was just Jake nosing me, eyes full of concern.

"I'm okay," I mumbled. "Go get him."

Edward was still trying to go for Aro's throat, restrained by Felix and another guard. As Jake padded up to him and tugged on the back of his shirt with his teeth, Edward's struggling stopped and his head whipped around. Our eyes met as I raised my head up, exhaustion carving lines in my face and making my body sag. He stared at me as if just seeing me for the first time and the whole room went still, at least in my mind. I could see the worry etched on his face, the ever-present concern that never seemed to leave. But part of that was masked by anger and the worst of all – fear. Not for the first time I wished my marriage was a normal one and instead of fighting for our lives, we were arguing about what color curtains we wanted in our bedroom. I saw his lips form my name but heard no sound. Maybe there wasn't any. Or maybe the roaring in my ears was just too loud. Thinking back to the moment, it was probably the latter.

Edward was at my side, lifting me up off the ground with a hand under my elbow, the other wrapping itself around my waist.

"Come on, love," he murmured in my ear as we left the room. "You'll be okay. Everything is going to be fine. Just breathe." He kept the sweet nothings up until we were back in our room. I knew that Jake had followed us to the room but my vision felt like I was looking down a narrow tunnel – everything around the edges was black. Edward sat me on the bed and kneeled down in front of me. His face filled my vision. As I gazed down at his face, I let most of my rational thought slip away until it was just golden eyes and perfect, full lips.

"Bella." This time when the perfect lips moved, I heard my name. "You're going to be okay." Now that I had turned the switch in my mind to "on" again, I started to process what he was saying. The tight knot in my chest loosened. I nodded. "Just try to calm down." Calm down? Was I not calm? Well, the answer to that was obvious.

I was not.

"Edward," I mumbled through numb lips. What had just happened? It felt like a bad dream but so _real._

"I'm right here, love. I'm not going anywhere." Slowly, the black edges started to recede and grow thinner and more light and colors entered my vision. My heart no longer felt as if it were being squeezed to death.

"Right," I said more strongly. "I'm okay." I repeated it until I was speaking loudly and clearly. "I'm fine," I said, standing up. And I was now. Sort of. Edward stood up also, hands still on me; wherever his fingers touched my skin, a calmness flowed into me.

"You," I said, rounding on Jake who was leaning against the door, human once more. When had I missed him phasing back?

"Bella," he started, taking a stop forward. But the fear and helplessness that made that knot in my chest was starting to morph into something else. Something that made white-hot anger flare up in my stomach.

"No," I said sharply. "Just don't talk for five minutes. I don't want to hear your voice. I really don't. How could you do this to me, Jake?" I looked at me, more like pleaded with my eyes because my voice was still hard. "Why did you come here? Why did you have to make something that was already so horrible that much worse? Was is so hard to stay away? You told me once that if I was happy, you were happy. Well guess what? I was happy. Sure, my life wasn't going perfectly but _I was happy_. This stuff with the Volturi -," I waved my hands in the air and Jake seemed to shrink back against the wall. "It was bad but we were dealing. But then you had to come along and make things so much worse. I just signed away my freedom and probably my life for you…" Edward's hands tightened their grasp on me. My voice broke over my next words. "Why can't you learn to just leave me alone?"

Jake paled. I sighed wearily, leaning against Edward. I needed time to regroup. My rant at Jake was long and harsh but not undeserving. What I had seen in Aro's mind made me shudder with horror and disgust, especially knowing now that I was going to become a part of it. I had to try and accept my new future, the one I had bound myself to the moment I dared to save Jake's life.

I didn't regret my decision and never would but for just one second I wanted this moment to be about me. I wanted to be selfish and to be upset and scared that my life had just took a dangerous turn. I kind of wanted Jake to feel horribly guilty and probably would have taken pleasure in him begging for forgiveness at my feet. I wanted Edward to hold me so tight I forgot I was me and we could go back to being one. I wanted to lay out under the stars at night, gazing upwards, only one person by my side. I wanted to see my Charlie's face again and my mom and god, I even wanted to see Phil.

I wanted so many things and would get so few of them.

I shook my head viciously to clear out these thoughts; they would do no good at the moment. I need to focus on the _now_.

"We need to figure out what we're going to next," I said through gritted teeth. I made a visible effort to unclench my locked jaw.

"You and I need to talk," Edward said tightly. I nodded distractedly because I knew what exactly we were going to talk about: Aro's plan. I didn't even want to think about it, let alone talk about it. But, like so many other things, it wasn't going to disappear just because I wanted to.

"Alone," Edward added, flicking his gaze over to Jake. The gaze was not a pleasant one and for a fleeting moment, I almost felt sorry for him, but then that moment was over and I was back to hating his guts.

"Fine," I said. "Edward , you go bring Jake to your family's house. Leave him there and bring back Carlisle. And Alice,' I added as an afterthought. I didn't doubt that she was probably already on her way right now – if Jasper wasn't holding her back. I continued, "I'm going to go speak with Adraen and tell him what's going on. Sound good?" Edward nodded and I gave props for Jake for keeping his mouth shut as he had to be full of questions. Then again, the time to keep his mouth shut was over. I could feel him trying to meet my eyes but I kept them stubbornly focused on Edward. Because I knew that if I unfocused, I was going to go for someone's throat and that someone was one hundred percent werewolf, not to mention my best friend. I left the room before they did, making my way to Adraen's suite for the second time in twenty-four hours. The door was closed this time but I hadn't even knocked when he opened it.

"Bella," he said as I walked in, but he didn't seem all that surprised to see me. Of course he didn't.

"Adraen," I said, starting up my pacing again as he stood as stoically as ever in the center of the room. "We have a problem." He didn't even blink. Didn't say a word. I stopped my pacing mid-stride, took a breath, closed my eyes and let the images and blueprints of Aro's mind rush forward. They were painful to recall but I didn't let that bother me. I had withstood much greater pain than brutal plans. I had been attacked by a werewolf, almost died, then been turned into a half vampire. This should be easy compared to all that.

Strangely though, it wasn't. The truth was, all those had happened to me and only me. I was the one suffering and in pain. _I _was the one who had to go through all the rehab and painful recovery and even mental anguish. Yes, I had dragged my family into more than I wanted, but even then I had realized that I held the key to it all. And that key had locked it all up inside me. But now the tables were turning and all of a sudden it wasn't just about me. Hundreds of others would be involved. Hell, a whole clan of vampires would be involved.

I was now a pawn in a very messy game.

I started talking with my eyes still shut, letting the words flow out and trying to detach myself from their meaning as much as possible.

"Aro wants to take over your people, Adraen. He's going to assemble his strongest army. You guys will have no chance." When I opened my eyes, I saw he didn't shocked or surprised or anything. If anything, his expression held mild anguish but even that was hard to determine.

"We will fight, Bella. Do not look so distraught. We are not weakling vampires, even if we are ancient. A war with the Volturi has been a long time coming."

"No," I said, my voice barely more than a whisper. "You won't win." I winced as the images raged on. There's was this one reason, this calculation that Adraen hadn't made. It was the one Aro had been planning on from day one when Alice had shown him what I was capable of.

"What makes you so sure of that?" Adraen asked. He was frowning now, more expression I had seen on him the whole time since I'd known him. He seemed to sense the complete hopelessness of my tone.

"You won't win," I said again. "Because I'll be fighting from the other side."


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Sorry for the long stretches between chapters. Life is speeding up a bit but I'll try to get faster at updating. There shouldn't be too many more chapters left. Perhaps three or four. Hope you're enjoying reading this. And of course, thank you!**

I explained to Adraen about my gift and just how powerful it is.

"I mean, it's not completely foolproof," I finished. "I still don't have total control over it yet but…" I trailed off but Adraen nodded and seemed to understand.

"Your shield is invisible?" Adraen questioned.

"Yes," I said slowly. "But that part is easy to tamper with." I thought of Jane torturing Edward when Aro had commanded I take my shield off my husband. Adraen seemed to understand this also.

"I would not ask you to compromise the safety of your family. It is not my place."

"I don't want to do this!" I said in frustration. My hands clenched into angry fists.

"Easy, child." Adraen moved the two or three steps toward me and put a hand briefly on my shoulder. It was heavy against my skin, heavier than I thought it would be. "There is always a way around cruelness. Always." I looked at him and nodded but I didn't really believe it. I smiled sadly, the corners of my mouth barely turning up before being pulled down again. Not in my experience had I come across such a philosophy. For me, my life was always one big cruel trick after the other. How I had fallen madly in love with the one person in the world that could kill me with a flick of his wrist. How my best friend wasn't a human either, but a big furry dog with an impeccable gift for bad timing. James, Laurent, Victoria: all harsh hands dealt to me in a card game seemingly rigged by the dealer. Leah's attack that left me paralyzed and without a distinct future, the one thing I needed more than anything else. Aro's decisions to make us come to Italy and to use me as a weapon against a coven of vampires that wanted no part in his politics.

If all that wasn't cruelty, then I didn't know what was.

All of it, all of the above, was for _him. _Call him whatever you want: my mate, my husband, my partner, my other half, my lover, the part of me I was missing until I first kissed him. Edward. The image of him in my mind, the phantom feel of his lips against mine, the way his smile is crooked but perfect at the same time, it's all enough to make my heart shatter. To stop the beating that pounds blood through my frozen veins. The one person who has more power over me than I do myself. It was Edward, not Aro, who would determine this future because he was the one who held my heart in his hands. He was the one who I lived for.

I would make things right for him. I would show him that I wasn't just a pawn to be manipulated, toyed with, molded into a form that would break me. And while my life might be at stake, suddenly, it wasn't my life that mattered. It wasn't Adraen's or Carlisle's or Alice's or even Jake's. It was Edward's. It had always been that way. And always would be.

I had pushed my way through so much before. Pain and sadness and disappointment but also love and friendship and happiness. Both forms of emotion had given me the strength for this moment, the strength to rise up. To defend. To save and protect what was rightfully mine.

I would not lose.

I lifted my gaze to look into Adraen's eyes. They burned the color of a million sunsets, a fiery orange that reflected back like flames.

"I can't lose him," I said fiercely, venom spitting from between my lips. "I _won't_ lose him."

"Then we have work to do, don't we?"

I brought Adraen to our apartment, moving swiftly along the hallways. We passed no one; there was no sign of being watched but still we traced my path back silently. Carlisle, Edward, and Alice waited for us. Both Carlisle and Alice turned their gaze on Adraen the moment we entered but Edward only had eyes for me. I went automatically to his side, curling my fingers into his. Just touching him and being so near him made me feel better.

"Jake was not happy about being left behind. Him and Rosalie were almost at each other's throat the moment I left." He shook his head and his pursed lips held no humor. My best friend was causing trouble. Again.

"Edward." I whispered to him, my voice just a gentle breath into the air. "I had no idea he would do anything like this. If I had ever suspected…" Edward's finger is against my lips before I can go on further. We both know how badly this situation was messed up and talking about what could have gone on would do neither of us any good.

"It's done," he said, just as quietly, running that finger down my cheek and throat until it rested on my inner collarbone, light as a butterfly touch. I swallowed and looked up until there was nothing left to stare at except those deep, infinite pools of amber. They shone with flecked gold and love and radiated a passion so bright, it threatened to pour out and consume me. Any other day, any other time, I would let it. But not right now. I allowed myself to blink once. Then twice.

"I just want you to know," I said, still staring, trying to memorize every single millimeter of those eyes. "That I will never let them take you from me. Never." Now my voice trembled but I kept on going. I didn't even care if the other three overheard me. Without letting my gaze falter, I moved my hands to his shirt, the steady marble of his body reassuring under shaking fingers. He looked as if he wanted to say something but I'm glad he had enough sense to keep quiet. His turn to talk would come soon but right now I needed to get this out.

"I love you so much. I want you to know that first of all. That no one will ever again love someone the way I love you. And it's important that you know there is nowhere I would rather be than here by your side. Even though we are stuck in this mess," I shook my head slightly. "I'm just happy to be here with you. The other thing that you need to know is that I'm going to fight like crazy, just like you've done for me all those times. I am not weak; I am not delicate; nor am I any more vulnerable than the next person. Do you understand that?" I waited to continue until he nodded his head. He wasn't smiling but he didn't look upset either. There was only one more thing I had left to say to finish out this little speech of mine. "This isn't the end." For five seconds, there was a pulsing silence in the room as he stared right back at me, expression placid and tender as could be.

Then he kissed me.

It was the kind of kiss that made my knees give out and the only thing holding me up was the firm support of his one arm around my waist, the other around my neck. It was a kiss born out of hunger and passion, one that had been building inside both of us for weeks, months, maybe our whole lives. Nevermind that we were not by ourselves. Nevermind that a very ugly war was in preparations to be fought this very minutes. I kissed Edward back with everything I had and more. I kissed him as if I had never kissed him before and would never kiss him again.

Unsure of how long we stayed together, I pulled away only when I sensed time was moving forward and even my strong lungs were running out of air. When I did move away, however, it was only an inch or so, still close enough that every facet of Edward's skin shone, even though there was no sunlight. It was simply how I saw him, how I'd always seen him. He whispered his words into my mouth and I bathed in them until I was sure I would never forget them.

"I love you Bella Cullen. I have loved you from the first moment I laid eyes on you and I will love you for eternity and beyond. And nothing can make that love fade. I promise." His words were followed by another kiss, a shorter one that not as much took my breath away as gave it back to me. As if Edward himself was breathing more life into me.

When a significant amount of time had passed since I entered the room with Adraen, I finally turned to greet the other family members, only slight embarrassment played out on my features. My side was still pressed against Edward's in a way that made me question if it would ever come away again.

"Hello Bella," Carlisle said, a gentle smile in place. Though his eyes were troubled, there was a hint of amusement there also. Alice came to give me a hug and whispered in my ear as she did so.

"Any longer and you might have suffocated." It was quiet but I could tell Edward heard by the way his body rippled with a chuckle that wasn't quite loud enough to be heard by the others. I shrugged, more unabashed than I normally would have been.

Adraen was staring over my head at Edward, long arms folded across his chest. He looked as comfortable standing in our glass apartment than as if we'd given him a plush armchair. Rocked back on his heels, expressionless as always. And yet still staring at my husband in a way I couldn't quite figure out. Not ready to leave Edward, I made introductions from across the room.

"Alice, Carlisle, this is Adraen. He is the leader of the _Simul._ They are the ones Aro and his brothers wish to destroy." Once I pushed the words out, it was easier to look up from the floor into their faces. "I'm not sure how much Edward has told you…"

"Nothing," Alice said, irritation marring her perfect voice.

"I told you that Bella could explain better than me," Edward said calmly. "Look, waiting didn't kill you." Alice sniffed. It was a sort of comfort, seeing their normal sibling exchange go unaltered by our potential upcoming deaths.

"Alice, have you seen anything?" I cut to the chase. Not a question I truly wanted answered but one that could prove much more dangerous if it went unturned. She hesitated which wasn't like Alice at all. "Just tell me," I said wearily. "I've already seen everything. From Aro."

"The future isn't pretty," she started out. "In fact it gets quite messy." She wrinkled her nose up in memory. I had to agree. She closed her eyes. "There will be a war in which Aro will use your weapon to take out a huge clan of vampires. They won't see it coming." She snapped her eyes back open and looked at me hard. "That's the shortened version, anyway." From her tone, I could pretty much assume that I'm not going to get the long version right now."

"Okay," I said. "That is exactly what I thought. That's what I saw in Aro's thoughts." Edward's hands tightened almost imperceptibly around my waist. Alice spoke again,

"Bella, you have to remember that future is always changing, like a body of water. Nothing is permanent. Things can flow in and out.

"I know," I said grimly, scanning the room, taking in each expression. "That is how we're going to use this to our advantage."


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Hello dear readers (is there anybody out there still?), I know I have horribly neglected this story for many, many months. Around the time the updates stopped, I got very busy writing a novel and haven't done much other writing. But now, hopefully, I can start this up again. Only a few chapters to go, I suppose. Let me know if anyone is still reading; I love comments!**

The four us stayed in Edward and my apartment all through the night, devising numerous plans and turning each one of them down. Too risky, too dangerous, too soon, not enough time, too much time. There were so many ways that each plan could go wrong. It did not help that Edward nixed almost everything before anyone got a plan out because he thought they were all too dangerous for me. A few hours in to the discussion, I had finally had enough.

"Edward," I said, breaking a silence. "Come here for a second." I pulled him into bedroom and then into the bathroom so we at least had two sets of glass doors between us and everyone else.

"They're going to hear you no matter what," Edward said mildly, glancing around at the shower and sinks.

"That's not the point," I said back. "I'm not trying to hide what I have to say. I just don't think you're going to like it." A frown instantly appeared on his face.

"Bella," he said warningly but I interrupted him.

"No," I tell him sharply. "This is going to be dangerous," I continued bluntly. "For everyone involved. Some people are probably going to get hurt. Some killed." Edward blanched. "I wish it didn't have to be this way. But it does. I can't change what happened back in that room but I _can_ change the future."

"Not to a future where you don't exist," Edward argued. I could see my little speech had done nothing to change his mind. I shrugged.

"Maybe." My voice lowered, got softer. "If that's what it takes to save all their lives, then maybe."

"No!" Edward practically yelled, jamming his fist into the glass wall. A crack spider-webbed out immediately and I could feel Alice looking over at us. "You are _not_ sacrificing yourself. If that's your plan, then we can leave right now. I'll take you far far away and they will never catch us." Pain made his voice raw. I smiled sadly and grabbed one of his hands, running my thumb over his cool palm.

"If this were just about you and me, I'd run away in a heartbeat," I whispered to him. His golden eyes burned into mine. "But it's not. This time there are so many other people involved. Their lives are on the line, Edward."

His head came down suddenly to rest on my shoulder, forehead pressed into the crook between neck and collarbone.

"I can't lose you," he said hoarsely. I gazed upwards, eyes wide, willing the tears to stop.

"Hey," I said gently a minute later. "It's not my plan to die, okay? I want to live. I want to live with you forever. I will fight with everything in this goddamn body to stay on this Earth with you. Okay?" His lips brushed against my skin as he mumbled his answer.

"Okay."

"I am not a porcelain doll," I reminded him as he lifted his head and took a step back. "I do not break easily. Not anymore. Remember that." A ghost of a smile flickered on his lips before disappearing. He leaned in, pressing a kiss to my forehead.

"I'll remember."

After that, we returned to the drawing board. Edward skipped out to fetch some more blood since the number in the apartment had doubled. When he came back and offered some to Adraen, the old vampire shook his head slightly. I glanced at him curiously but he offered up no explanation and I let it be, having more important things to worry on than someone's diet.

"Maybe it's impossible," I groaned out a while later. I was lying on the couch, stomach down with my feet up in the air. Carlisle, Alice and Edward were all seated at the kitchen table while Adraen stood by one wall, hardly moving except for the occasional eye blink. It was almost as if he were trying to melt into the surroundings behind him.

"Nothing's impossible," Carlisle said in his usual placid tone but I could tell even if he was feeling defeated

"There's just no way to trick those three into anything. They have access to everything we do and more. Our thoughts, the future," Edward said, nodding to Alice, who grimaced.

"I could leave," she offered. "You know, so they couldn't use the future against you." But Carlisle was already shaking his head.

"No. That is too dangerous," he insisted. "They would not let many of us survive that. We must all stay put."

"Bella, what's wrong?" Edward said suddenly. I was staring at Alice in fervor, trying to piece together something in my head. "Bella!" Edward said more intensely.

"Shh," I said, putting one hand up as if that could stop him from talking. I sat up, swinging my legs in front of me, taking a moment to marvel how perfectly and quickly they responded to my command.

"You said something about tricking them," I said to Edward, switching my gaze from Alice to Edward.

"Yeah," Edward agreed. "That it can't be done." I ignored him. I turned back to Alice.

"And you said something about them using the future against us."

"Which is what they will do," Alice said cautiously, not following my slowly blooming plan.

"What if…," I started then hesitated. No, it wouldn't work.

"Anything is better than nothing," Carlisle reminded me. "What are you thinking, Bella?"

"What if we _did_ trick them? What if we used their own future to block out a new one?" Carlisle and Alice still looked confused but light was beginning to dawn in Edward's eyes. Adraen, of course, had yet to move or make a comment. I continued, "We would pretend to go along with what they want and at the last minute, turn the tables on them."

"Oh!" Alice said, getting the point. "Oh, Bella, that's so risky. So many things could go wrong. We would have to get everything just right."

"But it's not impossible," I said. "And that's all we needed. Something possible."

"So simple," breathed Carlisle, shaking his head. I held my breath, waiting for his verdict. "But…it might actually work. If we could get everything just right, like Alice suggested." Adraen finally spoke; his low rumble seemed to make the room vibrate.

"It could work," he said, staring at me. "It would depend on a great number of things but I can promise you that my end of the bargain would be upheld. There are enough _Simul_ to fight this battle and win." Simultaneously, we all turned to Edward who had yet to say a word. Actually, since I suggested the plan, he hadn't moved a muscle. His hands were clenched into fists in his lap and his beautiful lips pursed in a scowl.

"If we lose," he started then stopped. He tried again and failed, staring through the glass wall to the bedroom, away from me.

"If we lose, we all die," Carlisle said plainly but not unkindly.

"We won't lose," I said, growing more confident by the minute. "Will we, Alice?" But my sister-in-law shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Bella. But I can't think that way. I can't afford to think at all about the plan or else they will know the minute they touch my hand. I'm sorry."

Before anyone could stop her, Alice pulled the door opened and is gone.

"She's right," Edward said. "We can't think about it. We must go on as if we believe Aro will use Bella. It's the only way to keep her safe. Keep all of us safe," he corrected himself but his gaze never left mine.

"This is only a discarded plan, another attempt at winning a hopeless battle," Carlisle agreed, turning to leave as well. "I'm sorry Bella but there is nothing we can do to help ourselves now."

"Farewell, my child," Adraen told me. "It has been a great honor knowing you. I do not hold what is about to happen against you. No of us will. For if you could have fought for us, with us, if your will was free, we know you would have. Goodbye."

That left only Edward and I standing in the kitchen, staring at the door. Then Edward's shoulders sag and he sinks into a chair once more.

"I can't think like that," he said miserably. "They're going to know. I can't not have hope for your survival."

"You will be under my shield at all times," I told him, running a hand through his hair. His head nodded back into my palm. "There will be no reason for Aro to touch you. I'll keep you safe. I promise."

"I'm supposed to be the one protecting you," he said, eyes closed as I continued to stroke his hair. "This isn't right." I placed a kiss on his forehead.

"These are modern times, my love. Besides, let's just say one you'll owe me," I teased, trying to lighten the mood. One corner of his lips quirked up.

"For the rest of my life," he agreed. "But still, let's just protect each other for now."

"That sounds like a fabulous plan," I murmured, coming around to his front and dropping down on his lap. My lips met his hungrily and his hands were up and tangled in my hair in no time. I wrapped my legs around his waist, adjusting my weight so the sharp angles of the chair weren't poking at me. Edward did one better, lifting me up, lips still locked, and carried me into the bedroom.

I didn't think I would ever tire of Edward's lips on mine or the way his smooth fingertips brushed my skin and made me shiver with delight. I wanted all of him always. And I would have him. We stayed that way all night, wrapped in each other, in the passion and heat of love.

Which is probably why we were a little slow when the Volturi burst into our apartment in the middle of the night.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Woohoo, there's at least a few of you still reading, which is awesome. Thank you! Here's another chapter for you faithful, kind readers **

I was half asleep by then, images and thoughts blurred by pure exhaustion. Edward kept telling me not to worry, to get some sleep. But my mind was in overdrive, refusing to rest. The product of the two was an incoherent me, laying snuggled next to Edward, eyes closed but awake. Maybe out of habit or maybe to keep my comfortable, Edward chest was moving up and down in slow, rhythmic breaths. I'd long grown used to the fact it was not paired with a heartbeat but the silence I heard as I laid my head on his chest did not seem abnormal. Actually, in light of everything, it was the one constant that remained the same.

I pressed myself closer to him. Neither one of us had any clothes on and I could feel every part of his skin against mine. I laid there, wondering what tomorrow would bring or the next day or the day after that. What would happen after I helped the _Simul?_ Would we go back to Forks. No, probably not, I thought.

Then the terrifying what if's started again. What if everything didn't go right? What if Aro saw through our plan? Or Marcus or Caius? What if we were being foolish to try to fight, to escape?

What if we lost?

That's where my brain shut down again, refusing to cooperate with any further thinking. I'd lie there again, listening to Edward's breathing and, inevitably, the wondering and questions would start again.

It was a little past three in the morning when the apartment door crashed open. I watched it fly through the room and hit the opposite wall, hinges swinging from it's frame.

Edward and I were up in an instant, crouched and snarling. I pulled a sheet half-around me just before Felix, Jane, and Alec walked in, Felix in front.

"Where is he?" the giant vampire demanded, stopping within feet of us. Edward pushed me in back of him with one arm, growling at the three before us. He didn't answer. "Where is he?" Felix said again, tone rising. He took a half step forward. Edward moved at the same time. I watched Jane over Felix's shoulder while making sure my shield was secure against an attack, physical or mental. It wound itself over Edward snugly, shaping itself the contours of his body.

"This doesn't have to be done the hard way," Jane warned in her high-pitched voice. "Felix, calm down. You're making a spectacle of yourself." Felix snarled through gritted teeth but then took a step back. Edward did not rise from his crouch, nor did I.

"I don't know what you want," I said, clutching the sheet to my body like a life preserver. Alec was staring quite intently at me; the look on his face a mixture of curiosity and intrigue. It made me sick.

"Get. Out." Edward said in a low voice. I could practically feel the venom welling in his mouth; my own was full of it.

"Your friend is gone," Jane told me, ignoring my husband. She watched my eyes widen with glee.

Jake? Jake was gone? How did he escape? Didn't he know that would just track him down and kill him? That I couldn't guarantee his safety until after the fight. I hope he also knew that if they didn't kill him and I got out of here alive, he was a goner in my hands. I'd kill him myself.

Jane watched all me absorb this with sick satisfaction but before I could say a word, Edward shook his head once.

"The Russian vampire. He's missing."

Not Jake, Adraen. Well, that actually made sense.

"What makes you think we'd know?" I said plainly, disinterested.

"Don't be foolish," Felix spat, taking two steps toward me. Edward hissed and blocked his way.

"Another step closer and I'll rip your throat out," Edward warned. "I don't care what Aro says." Felix smirked but didn't move forward.

"We know you were talking," Jane said, trying her best to sound bored though she didn't quite achieve it on the same level Marcus did. She allowed frustration to seep in.

I blinked and kept my mouth shut. We all stood there in silence. Alec was still staring at me and I had to wonder if the sheet was see-through. Whatever. I was long past caring now.

"Tell us!" Felix shouted. "Where has he gone?"

"We don't know," Edward said. Which was true, kind of. "Our exchanges were merely pleasantries. He was bored. We were bored. But he never mentioned leaving to us. Why would he?" Jane's nostrils flared and her red eyes narrowed.

Suddenly, I remembered something Adraen had told me during one of our first visits.

_Our friend does not know that I could be gone for many hours before he even knew it. I am here under the pretense Aro thinks he is keeping me captive._

Adraen knew something we didn't. Adraen had a way out.

And he'd used it.

"Put some clothes on," Jane said in disgust to Edward.

"Or don't," Alec said, a malicious smile curving his still-young-looking lips. "That sheet doesn't cover much but I've always greatly preferred reality rather than relying on imagination."

That was the last straw for Edward. He sprang out of his crouch and leapt at Alec. Standing still, my shield was as solid as a steel wall but when he moved, it lost composure. It would protect him from mental harm still, yes, but now he could fight. And they could fight back. Jane stepped back from the attack, content to let it unfold. Her power was useless anyway. I'm sure she wasn't terrible at hand to hand combat but it was not her strength. She would not be forced to get messy until the very last minute.

Edward dove at Alec but Felix moved just fast enough to clip my husband on the shoulder, sending him slightly off course and into a wall. The glass shattered on impact and came raining down. Edward was already moving again, this time at Felix. The two had fought before and seemed to have a choreographed dance down. But I couldn't watch long. Alec, unlike his sister, pursued a physical fight and came rushing at me.

I had no choice but to drop my sheet. We sprang at the same time, colliding in mid-air. My feet came up to kick his middle but he reacted faster than I expected, grabbing my ankles and pulling us both to the ground. Alec grabbed at my hair and pulled, forcing me to expose my neck. He had one hand pinned down but the other I used as leverage to buck my entire body up and ram it against his, unbalancing his enough that I could spring up.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I heard another wall come down. I frantically searched for my shield, making sure Edward was still under it and not lying helpless at Jane's feet. He was but the shield was stretched pretty thing, weaving in and out of doorways in an effort to keep us both under it's protection.

I ducked to avoid a blow from Alec and danced a few steps backward, towards Edward. I needed to be closer to him. With every advance from Alec, I countered by diving, stepping or lunging backwards, not throwing any punches of my own, only defending when necessary.

"You're not a natural fighter," he hissed at me. "Not like the rest of them. Your beating heart makes you weak." It was the most Alec had ever spoken to me. His voice was high, not so much as his sister's but compared to Edward, it was girlish. His fangs glinted dangerously. "I wonder how you taste now," he pondered, taking a break from attacking me to talk. I stayed silent. Edward was just one room over. From inside it, I heard something making a terrible screeching noise then crash to the ground. Instinct told me it wasn't one of the dueling vampires.

"Come bite me and find out," I invited. Instead of feinting to the side to avoid his attack, I timed my leap just right and jumped upwards, choosing to drop back down right on top of Alec. My strong feet slammed into his granite shoulders, buckling his knees about an inch for only a second. It was all I needed.

My fist came up and whipped across his face quickly followed by the other one around his throat. My legs propelled the two of us into a wall and it was there I slammed his head against backwards, putting cracks in the glass with every blow. My naked hip slammed his stomach into the wall and pinned it there while both hands went to press around his throat.

"What do you think?" I whispered, feeling a distinct roaring in my ears, which blocked out all other sound. "Would Aro be so upset if I killed you? Or does he value my life over yours now? After all, I am the one we are all fighting over." If I wasn't mistaken, a flicker of fear passed over Alec's perfect features. His eyes weren't as blood red as his sister's but they were still terrifying. Jane was hovering just out of reach behind us, still not daring to lay a hand on me even though I had her brother pinned in a death grip. Was she really that devoid of emotion?

"Bella!"

Edward called my name and it was there I made a vital mistake. I swiveled my head a fraction of an inch, allowing some of the pressure to be taken off of Alec's torso. He immediately took this opportunity to grab my shoulder with his right arm and squeeze, digging his fingernails into my skin.

I may have been part vampire and part werewolf but the part in between wasn't indestructible, just as I feared. Pain blossomed on my shoulder but not enough to make me let go. In fact, it drove me further. My knee came up and slammed into Alec's solid stomach. His grip loosened. I wasn't sure whether the bright spots in my vision were from pure rage or pain. I tried to force my shield to push him off but my mental strength was lacking now that I was fighting physically too.

A rush of air behind me announced that Edward had finally come back into the room. When he saw the situation I was in, he let out an ear-splitting roar, lunging at the two of us. All three of us crashed into the wall, bringing it down and tumbling into the next room. Somehow, Edward managed to fight off Alec and disentangle me from the chaos at the same time.

"Get. Out," he said again, pinning Alec down. He threw the smaller vampire toward his sister. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Felix's cape flash around the door, leaving. "Consider yourself – both of you – lucky that I didn't kill you tonight. Never come back here," he warned, eyes wild with fury and protectiveness. He hadn't looked this way since the battle with Victoria.

I honestly had never seen Jane do anything under order from anyone but Aro but with one last hiss directed at me, she steered Alec out of the apartment and out of sight.

I sank down to my knees, feeling like the entire world was collapsing in on itself. So that's what it was like to fight. Sure, I'd mock fought with Emmett and even Alice but now I realized how out-matched I was when it came to physical strength. Werewolves were strong. Vampires were stronger. But somewhere in between the two, I had gotten the short end of the stick; I was not as strong.

Edward turned slowly towards me, expression unreadable.

"Bella," he said, bending down to me. Something I couldn't quite explain made me flinch away from his touch, instantly letting out a rush of guilt. But Edward was already pulling away.

"Clothes," I said hoarsely. "I need clothes."

Before I can draw in another breath, he's back, holding out outstretched hands towards me. In one was my silk nightgown I wear to bed most nights and in the other was a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I reached out and snatched the nightgown, holding it close to me before slipping it on. Edward eased himself down onto the floor next to me, putting the other clothes in between us. Together, we surveyed the damage. In total, three walls had shattered and two more were cracked beyond repair. Deep gouges decorated the wooden floor every few feet and the kitchen table lay in shambles.

Edward and Felix had taken their fight into the bedroom, which no doubt was now demolished into millions of dust particles. My forehead dropped into my hand as a final wave of exhaustion swept through me. What was I doing?

"Bella," Edward said again in a quiet voice. I uncovered my eyes to stare at him with blank eyes. "Bella, please let me look at your shoulder." Gently, I turned my head so I was staring down at the shoulder Alec had so roughly grabbed. Already, purple and red bruises were blossoming where his five fingers had dug into my skin. Tiny droplets of blood ran from the wounds down my arm and onto the ground.

"It's fine," I said dismissively. I'd had worse. Much worse. Clambering to my feet, I picked my way through the rubble and out into the hallway, Edward trailing a couple steps behind me, watching, waiting to see where I would go.

"Bella, we don't' have to leave. I promise they won't come back. Let's just get dressed and try to relax, okay?"

I whirled around on one foot. Numbly, I noticed Edward had thrown a t-shirt and pants.

"Relax?" I almost screeched. "You think I could possibly relax? I love you Edward, but sometimes you are really _stupid._" His eyes widened but of course, he didn't look angry, just worried.

"I didn't mean it like that," he said softly, taking a step back to give me space.

"Of course you didn't," I said bitterly. This time, he really did look shocked at my words. It was by far the most sarcastic thing I had ever said to him. He waited patiently for me to say more.

"I'm sorry," I sighed eventually, looking up at him. Unlike me, he bore no traces that he'd just fought a solider vampire twice his size; not a single scratch on that perfect marble skin.

"Tell me what's wrong," Edward said, reaching towards me for the first time since he'd brought me clothes. This time, I let him touch me and was relieved myself when I didn't flinch away but instead, sunk into his touch like I had always done.

"I can't fight very well," I confessed miserably. My feet were bare and I nervously rubbed one against the other, squirming under Edward's confused gaze.

"You had him pinned," Edward reminded me, eyes dark. "You were doing just fine until I distracted you. This is my fault," he continued, running one finger over my colorful shoulder.

"If I were stronger," I argued. "If I were more like you, then it wouldn't be a problem. After all this time, I guess we finally figured out that trying to turn me was a failure."

_I'm a failure_, I said to myself but didn't dare say those words out loud, not in front of Edward, who would only try to console me.

"Bella, just because you can't fight off an experienced vampire fighter, doesn't mean you are a failure," Edward said as if he could suddenly read my thoughts. "And just because your skin isn't as…durable…as mine does not make you any less than me. Okay?"

I nodded, unable to say anything due to the large lump residing in my throat, making it difficult to swallow and impossible to speak. "You fight from the inside. You are the best internal fighter that our world has ever seen. Don't you forget that." I nodded again.

Edward pulled me into close to him. "As for the rest, let me take care of it. You protect my mind and I'll protect your body. Deal?"

I looked up at him and could see a faint smile pulling at his lips. I couldn't help but feel lighter inside, if only a little bit.

"Deal."


End file.
